State lawmakers passed the second-highest number of abortion restrictions ever this past year, with 19 states enacting 43 measures in 2012 that limited access to abortion services, according to the Guttmacher Institute. The record was set last year, when 24 states enacted 92 restrictions in 2011.
Guttmacher’s analysis comes as Time magazine reports in its cover story this week that pro-life supporters have been winning the battle against abortion since the United States Supreme Court handed down its Roe v. Wade ruling 40 years ago.
According to LifeSiteNews, the article makes a “pro-abortion case” but arrives at a “shocking conclusion:” “While abortion is still legal, it is increasingly difficult to access, thanks to the closing of so many abortion clinics and pro-life laws that help women by giving them additional information and alternatives.”
Those laws include a recently approved ban on Planned Parenthood funding in Texas, as well as recent Michigan bills which will increase regulation requirements for abortion providers.
In a last-minute vote, Michigan lawmakers approved a measure to require that abortion providers screen patients to ensure they aren’t being coerced into unwanted abortions. In addition, the legislation mandates that abortion clinics acquire licenses similar to those required of freestanding, outpatient surgical centers.
The licensing restrictions apply only to clinics that perform more than 120 abortions each year. Such clinics would also be subject to state inspection.
CT has reported the recent “pro-life surge”, including recent efforts to target government funding of Planned Parenthood. CT also noted that the abortion rate has fallen to a 10-year low.
