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| English: Iowa Supreme Court in Des Moines (Photo credit: Wikipedia) |
June 19, 2015
Des
Moines, IA - Today, the Iowa Supreme Court struck down Iowa
Administrative Regulations that banned the webcam abortion pill
distribution scheme that has been used by Planned Parenthood of the
Heartland since 2008.
The
Court found that requiring an in-person physical examination prior to
dispensing two abortion-inducing drugs posed an "undue burden" on Iowa
women, who would be required to travel farther to get an abortion under
the regulations.
 The Court also ruled for the first time that a woman's "right" to an abortion exists in the Iowa Constitution.
"The
Iowa Supreme Court has chosen to protect the profits of abortionists
over the lives of women and their babies," said Operation Rescue
President Troy Newman. "It is an unconscionable decision that also
undermines the authority of the Iowa Board of Medicine to enact safety
regulations when it comes to abortion, setting a dangerous precedent
that is guaranteed to result in lost lives."
While
Planned Parenthood claims there have been no reported complications
from webcam abortions, there is no reporting mechanism in place.
Medication abortions carry a failure rate of 45-79 per 1000 women, according to the FDA.
"In
the 7,000 webcam abortions Planned Parenthood claims to have done
since 2008, we should reasonably expect between 300 and 550
complications according to the FDA statistics," said Newman. "Planned
Parenthood's claims that there have been no reported complications have
no credibility whatsoever. This is really a case of 'See No Evil, Hear
No Evil' for the purpose of financial gain. We must continue to fight
to protect women and children from this dangerous scheme."
Operation Rescue first drew national attention to Iowa's experimental webcam abortion scheme in 2010 when it released an exposé and filed a complaint with the Iowa Board of Medicine (IBM) objecting to the remote abortion pill distribution system.
Operation Rescue then exposed plans by Planned Parenthood Federation of America to expand the scheme into every one of their clinics nationwide.
Since then, 19 states have enacted bans on webcam abortions.
In
2013, the Iowa Board of Medicine issued administrative regulations
that required physicians to perform in-person physical examinations on
women before prescribing the abortion pills. This essentially banned the
webcam abortion practice in Iowa.
Planned Parenthood of the Heartland sued and lost in a 2014 state court decision
that cited "legitimate reasons" to require physicians to perform
physical examinations in person. Planned Parenthood appealed that
decision to the Iowa Supreme Court, which issued its ruling today
overturning the lower court's decision.
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