OB/GYN Panel Approves Language for Alaska Abortion Web Site, Adds Material From Public Comments

Main Category: Abortion
Article Date: 31 May 2005 - 0:00 PDT

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A five-member OB/GYN panel on Friday approved language for Alaska's abortion informed consent... Web site -- which was required to be created under a law (SB 30) signed last year -- and added some content suggested during a period of public comment, the Anchorage Daily News reports (Demer, Anchorage Daily News, 5/23). Gov. Frank Murkowski (R) in July 2004 signed the law establishing the Web site and requiring women seeking abortions to certify in writing that their doctors gave them the information from the site or other information that meets specific standards. The law requires the Web site to include information about fetal development; photographs of a fetus at four-week gestational increments; descriptions of various abortion procedures; possible risks and complications, including physical and psychological effects, associated with abortion procedures and childbirth; eligibility requirements for medical assistance benefits; child support orders; and various contraceptive options. The law also requires that all information included on the site be objective, unbiased and approved by a group of OB/GYN specialists appointed by the state medical board. The panel -- which is made up of all men including two abortion providers and one member recruited by Alaska Right to Life -- has said the site will include information about fetal pain and a possible link between abortion and an increased risk of breast cancer. The panel previously had given tentative approval to the Web site without any mention of fetal pain or the possible abortion-breast cancer link (Kaiser Daily Reproductive Health Report, 5/3).

Additions, Timeline
The panel agreed to add elements to the site suggested during a public comment period, including adding "anger" and "grief" to a list of potential emotional effects of abortion that already includes "emptiness," "guilt," "sadness" and "relief," according to the Daily News. The panel also included more description of how the experience of undergoing abortion can differ among women depending on age, gestational age and religious beliefs, according to the Daily News. The Web site might not be online and available to the public for a couple of months because it must be approved by the state health commissioner, state lawyers and Lt. Gov. Loren Leman (R), who must approve all state regulations, according to the Daily News. In addition, the panel will have to approve any changes made to the medical content of the site, according to Stephanie Birch, chief of the state Division of Public Health's Women, Children and Family Health Division (Anchorage Daily News, 5/23).

"Reprinted with permission from kaisernetwork.org kaisernetwork.org. You can view the entire Kaiser Daily Reproductive Health Report, search the archives, or sign up for email delivery at www.kaisernetwork.org/dailyreports/repro The Kaiser Daily Reproductive Health Report is published for kaisernetwork.org, a free service of The Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation . © 2005 Advisory Board Company and Kaiser Family Foundation. All rights reserved.

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