Planned Parenthood's misleading monopoly on 'women's health'

In her op-ed “Protecting Women’s Health,” (The Hill, 12/18/12), Planned Parenthood President Cecile Richards alleges that pro-life politicians “haven’t gotten the message” when it comes to women’s health.
 
Richards calls out states like Ohio and Michigan where legislators have diligently been working to pass pro-woman, pro-life legislation including laws requiring abortion clinics to be licensed (and therefore accountable for maintaining certain health & safety requirements), laws ensuring women are fully educated on the abortion procedure and its impacts before undergoing one, as well as laws to protect unborn baby girls from being aborted solely because they are the “wrong” sex.

Contrary to Richards’ claim, these pieces of legislation are intended to promote women’s health, not hinder it. What’s more, these are the commonsense measures for which finding the ever-elusive “common ground” is a reality.
 
In Michigan for example, 85 percent of those surveyed agree with the recently passed legislation to license and inspect abortion clinics. Even 76 percent of self-described pro-choice Democratic women agree that abortion clinics, where women undergo an invasive, potentially life-threatening surgery, should be held to the same – if not much higher – health standards as the tattoo parlor down the street.
 
Similarly, national polling from the Charlotte Lozier Institute found that 77 percent of all Americans, and a whopping 80 percent of women, support a ban on sex-selective abortion. This phenomenon, lethal sex-discrimination usually only applied to girl children, has already wrought havoc in countries like China and India. Skewed sex -ratios – an indicator of sex-selective abortion – have already begun appearing in some U.S. sub-populations indicating an urgent need for legislation condemning and banning this practice.
 
A 63 percent majority of Americans also agrees on an abortion ban at the point at which an unborn child baby can feel pain. Once again, the support for this measure is higher among women – 70 percent according to the most recent polling.
 
Seventy to eighty percent consensus among women on any issue – much less one as contentious as abortion – is a rarity. The fact that Cecile Richards, Planned Parenthood, and the rest of the pro-abortion lobby oppose these measures is demonstrative of one thing: they value abortion on-demand for any reason at anytime, above women’s health.
 
Fortunately for the health and well-being of women, children, and families across the country, Cecile Richards’ problem with state legislatures isn’t likely to end anytime soon. In addition to recent actions in Ohio and Michigan, leaders in Texas including Governor Perry recently announced aggressive plans to protect unborn children capable of feeling pain from abortion in the upcoming legislative session.
 
This is a prelude to the possible pro-life gains to be made at the state level in 2013, when twenty seven states will enjoy a Republican majority in the legislature. We expect these states to be fertile ground for pro-life legislation. Already our pro-life allies in these states across the country are preparing to usher in a new record of bills aimed at protecting unborn human life and women from the violence of abortion.
 
We look forward to working with these pro-life, pro-woman advocates – patiently waiting in the wings for January 2013. The SBA List will do all that we can to support them as they act on the will of the pro-life, pro-woman majority and end Planned Parenthood’s misleading monopoly on “women’s health.”
 
Dannenfelser is president of the Susan B. Anthony List.

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