Michigan Republican Gov. Rick Snyder vetoed a pro-life bill Friday that would have protected women from dangerous webcam abortions.
The bill, which passed both state houses, would have permanently banned webcam abortions in the state and protected women by requiring that the abortionist be physically present and conduct an examination of the patient before dispensing the abortion drugs in person.
“Eight years ago Snyder claimed to be pro-life, but that was a cynical lie,” Right to Life of Michigan responded Friday. “Rick Snyder vetoed the bill to make our webcam ban permanent. It expires next week, letting Planned Parenthood expand and make it so that a woman never has to meet an abortionist before taking the dangerous abortion pill.”
The pro-life group said the legislature does not have enough votes to override the governor’s veto.
Snyder did support the initial ban in 2012, but he flip-flopped on the issue before leaving office in January, according to the AP.
Here’s more from the report:
Snyder said patients — including in rural areas — should be able to remotely receive safe and proper care, including for a medical abortion when drugs are used to end a pregnancy. He said objective research shows that medical abortions are safe and that a virtual consultation with a physician is as effective as an in-person visit.
Other research, however, indicates that webcam, or telemed, abortions are dangerous. In these abortions, the woman does not receive a physical examination from the abortion doctor or even see him/her face to face. Instead, she chats with the abortionist through a computer before a remote-controlled drawer or nurse dispenses the abortion drugs. After drugs are dispensed, the patient almost certainly never sees the doctor again. Instead, she returns home and waits to pass her aborted baby’s body.
LifeNews depends on the support of readers like you to combat the pro-abortion media. Please donate now.
Research suggests webcam abortions are more dangerous than surgical abortions. An analysis of a University of California San Francisco study found that women who had webcam abortions had four times higher risk of complications.
Snyder, however, claimed the ban would prevent patients from receiving “safe and proper medical care,” the Detroit Free Press reports.
“Telemedicine service is important to our health care delivery system by enabling health care providers the ability to connect with patients across vast distances,” Snyder said in his veto statement. “Ultimately, providing patients with the ability to remotely receive safe and proper medical care, at a time-sensitive period for the patient, is significant.”
Snyder’s replacement, Gov.-elect Gretchen Whitmer, is pro-abortion.
The abortion drugs can have serious complications. At least 22 women have died after taking the drugs. Complications include heavy bleeding, infection and incomplete abortions that require surgery.
Despite these risks, Planned Parenthood announced intentions earlier this year to open at least 10 new webcam abortion locations across the country. It currently performs webcam abortions at 24 locations in America.
“Planned Parenthood ran a profit of nearly $100 million dollars according to their latest annual report, but their idea of increasing access to ‘healthcare’ for women is cutting corners and making an even bigger mockery of the doctor-patient relationship for abortion procedures,” according to RTL Michigan.
Planned Parenthood and the ACLU opposed the bill. The pro-life group said money, not women’s rights or safety, appears to be the real reason for the abortion industry’s opposition.
“The law poses a burden on the abortion industry, particularly Planned Parenthood,” the pro-life group said. “They already utilize the abortion pill as a cost-saving measure over a surgical abortion. There are not many abortionists, due to the unattractive nature of the profession’s involvement in taking human life. Many abortionists are ‘circuit-riders’ who work at multiple abortion facilities, requiring these abortionists to drive long distances to see patients.”
