Life Links 7/2/13

Kirsten Powers doesn't stand with Wendy Davis.  She also points out the obvious false claim that 37 out of 42 abortion clinics will close. 

In addition to the limit on late-term abortions, the Texas legislature sought to pass regulations on abortion clinics similar to what was passed in Pennsylvania in 2011 after the Gosnell horror. The New York Times warned that the Texas bill "could lead to the closing of most of Texas's 42 abortion clinics." That sounds familiar. In 2011, the Pennsylvania ACLU claimed a post-Gosnell bill "would effectively close most and maybe all of the independent abortion clinics in Pennsylvania." Last month, a Pennsylvania news site reported that "several" abortion clinics have closed, which isn't quite the Armageddon the abortion-rights movement predicted.

Betsy Woodruff discusses some of the threats prolife legislators in Texas have had to deal with.     

State senator Donna Campbell, who issued the third point of order against Davis's filibuster (which ended it), has also been the target of extensive verbal abuse from pro-choice protesters, according to her spokesman Jon Oliver.

They've received Facebook messages and e-mails saying, "I hope you're raped" and "I hope your daughter's raped," Oliver tells me.

West Virginia's attorney general's attempt to get abortion clinics in his state to provide him with information about their practices wasn't met with open arms. 

The clinic's response likely is not what Morrisey had in mind.

"The center is not in the position of providing substantive responses to your letter," executive director Sharon Lewis wrote. "Our center is a defendant in a civil litigation matter and, upon advice of counsel, we must decline to respond to your inquiries and allow the discovery process and justice system to address those matters."

Lewis is referring to a suit brought against the clinic last month by Itai Gravely, 26, who alleges Dr. Rodney Lee Stephens continued an abortion after she told him to stop due to excessive pain. The lawsuit also said Stephens left parts of the fetus in her uterus.

Abortionist Kermit Gosnell has changed his mind again and will apparently plead guilty to federal drug charges less than a week after rejecting the plea. 


Both houses of the Delaware legislature have unanimously passed their minimum abortion regulation expansion.

The House unanimously passed the Senate-approved bill, sponsored by Sen. Robert Venables, D-Laurel. The measure, which now goes to Gov. Jack Markell for his signature, allows clinic employees to lodge complaints with public health officials that could prompt an inspection. It also mandates independent accreditation of any facility that performs invasive procedures, directly targeting Planned Parenthood, which accredits its own facilities.