The Iowa Board of Medicine will meet August 20 to discuss the controversial abortion method known as "telemed" abortions.
The telemed approach involves an abortion patient who sits in front of a computer and takes part in an audio-video link with a doctor, who only views a sonogram of the woman's baby. The patient does not see the sonogram. If the doctor gives the go-ahead for an abortion, he or she pushes a button and a drawer containing the RU-486 pills opens for the patient. But since the doctor does not actually perform the abortion, as Iowa law requires, pro-life groups contend this method is illegal.
"Iowa law right now requires that a doctor must be present to perform an abortion," explains Jenifer Bowen of Iowa Right to Life.
Since the patient takes the pills at home and essentially aborts the baby without a doctor, the Planned Parenthood abortionist is not available should complications develop. Iowa Right to Life has known the clinic has utilized this method for two years, but Planned Parenthood has denied it.
"I would say in the last three or maybe four months is when Planned Parenthood finally admitted that this is what they were doing," Bowen reports. "So we've been doing the best that we can to sound the alarm, but they are multiplying the number of clinics [where] they are offering it, rather than stopping it."
The abortuary chain has admitted it plans to spread the telemed method nationwide. Operation Rescue has filed a complaint with state officials, and a meeting has been planned for Friday. Meanwhile, Iowa Right to Life is asking people to sign a petition on their website, to be presented to the state during that meeting.
Contact: Charlie Butts
Source: OneNewsNow
Date Published: August 16, 2010
