Feminists For Choice

On Monday, Arizona Governor Jan Brewer approved two pieces of legislation that will significantly restrict access to abortion in the state. The first bill imposes a 24-hour waiting period before women can obtain an abortion. It also requires abortion providers to read a script during a mandatory counseling session that tells women about so-called health risks related to abortion, alternatives to abortion. The bill also allows pharmacists to refuse to fill birth control or emergency contraception prescriptions.

The second bill tightens the already existing parental consent laws and requires a minor to have the consent of both parents before she can obtain an abortion. Bryan Howard of Planned Parenthood Arizona had this to say:

Despite energetic statements to the contrary, House Bill 2564 / Senate Bill 1206 will pose dire consequences for thousands of Arizona women . . . [A]bortion care will only remain in three of ten Arizona communities creating an undue burden on rural and poor women who need access to care. It will also increase expenses and medical risks as a result of delays caused by a mandated 24-hour waiting period. Likewise, these requirements are especially burdensome to women who may not be able to take extra days off from work, travel long distances, or find appropriate childcare while they are away from home. A woman coming from Yuma County would spend an average $523.08 in additional costs since services will not be available in her community.

The bill requires health care providers to state that women considering abortion will have health care and other safety-net services from the state. As we all know, the legislature has just adopted a budget which radically shrinks and even eliminates the very services this law says are guaranteed. To influence women’s decisions with deceptive information isn’t just dishonest, it’s cruel.

To learn more about how 24-hour waiting periods and parental consent laws affect women and teens, check out The War on Choice by Gloria Feldt.