Apr 22 2011
Media outlets report on state-level action regarding Planned Parenthood and abortion issues.
Fox News: Planned Parenthood Holds Back On Challenging Wave of Anti-Abortion Bills
Despite a wave of late-term abortion restrictions being signed into law in state capitals, advocacy groups like Planned Parenthood so far have held back on filing any legal challenges. The hesitation could be a sign that the groups are concerned about their chances in court. The new proposals would ban most abortions after about 20 weeks into pregnancy, narrowing the window in which a woman can seek an abortion, based on claims that a fetus can feel pain after that period. Though these proposals are seen by pro-choice advocates as an assault on reproductive rights, the litigation hasn't started flying (4/20).
Politico Pro: Planned Parenthood Bill Dilemma For Daniels
Presidential contender and Indiana Gov. Mitch Daniels may want to call a "truce" on social issues — but the Indiana General Assembly has other plans. The Indiana State Senate passed a bill Tuesday that would strip Planned Parenthood of Indiana of federal Medicaid funding. The effort mirrors the aggressive, but ultimately failed, push by Indiana Rep. Mike Pence to defund the group at the national level. The bill, if signed, would make Indiana the first state to bar Planned Parenthood from receiving federal dollars. It would also ban abortions after 20 weeks, following similar restrictions passed last week by Kansas and Idaho (Kliff, 4/21).
The Texas Tribune: Cornyn Won't Take "Nickel Tour" Of Planned Parenthood
Sen. John Cornyn will not be "taking the nickel tour" of any Planned Parenthood branch, his office said Wednesday, in response to an offer by one of the organization's Texas branches to arrange an informational visit. But his office did request statistics from Planned Parenthood of the Texas Capital Region following questions the senator fielded at Monday's Texas Tribune TribLive event ... [when he] was unwilling to distance himself from the recent controversial and non-factual claim made by his colleague, Arizona Sen. Jon Kyl, that 90 percent of services offered by Planned Parenthood are abortions. The actual number, Planned Parenthood says, is 3 percent (Ramshaw, 4/20).
 This article was reprinted from kaiserhealthnews.org with permission from the Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation. Kaiser Health News, an editorially independent news service, is a program of the Kaiser Family Foundation, a nonpartisan health care policy research organization unaffiliated with Kaiser Permanente.
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