I can't believe they didn't already have to have the same licensing as an outpatient surgical clinic. Abortion is a pretty serious medical procedure.
Like others have pointed out, many abortions aren't that serious of medical procedures, at all. A lot of abortions simply involve taking some pills--which is hardly surgery.
From cases I'm familiar with, if a patient needs more complex surgical care, the abortion clinic will refer them to a hospital. Abortion clinics generally only do relatively safe outpatient procedures.
Yes, abortion carries some risk. But so does routine dental work.
Another potential issue, which I'm not sure is at play in NC or not, is that preferential treatment is sometimes given to some types of clinics over others. For example, in my state, Virginia, a law like this was recently passed, and some non-abortion clinics were grandfathered in. So, some clinics don't have to follow the new laws, but abortion clinics do. If the issue is truly with patient safety, there's no need to focus specifically on abortion clinics.
I also don't have a problem with this. There is no reason that a health care provider should be forced to do something that they feel strongly against. Why should anyone be forced to perform something they feel is wrong?
Because they're healthcare providers. If you're unable to sometimes put your own feelings aside for the well-being of your patients, healthcare isn't a good field to go into. There are a lot of situations where a healthcare provider might not want to do something. For example, someone might have a do not resuscitate order, but the doctor strongly believes in doing everything possible to save a life. Or a doctor might have to treat a horrible criminal. Someone who is opposed to organ donation might die while under the care of a doctor who believes donation is a moral imperative. In all of these cases, the patient's well-being or wishes take precedence over the doctor's individual moral beliefs.
I strongly agree here. This, from the way I'm reading it, says the state can't pay for elective abortions, but will still cover them in cases of rape or incest. If you don't want the government to have a say in your reproductive choices, you certainly shouldn't ask them/your fellow citizens to pick up the tab.
You could say this about anything, though. My question is, why is it okay for the government to single out a particular legal medical procedure like this, if it's willing to provide healthcare coverage for everything else?
I feel like you're getting into a question of whether or not socialized medicine, in general, is a good idea. That's a separate debate. But the government already provides some healthcare coverage through programs like medicaid. So why shouldn't abortion be covered?
Hmmmmm, not sure how I feel about it. I still err on the side of agreeing. If a woman has an appointment for a procedure, the doctor who scheduled the appointment certainly isn't going to opt out. I feel this gives people a chance to say "I refuse to take part in any of this activity."
It doesn't sound like it would hinder the patient's ability to complete the procedure. Might upset her to feel judged, but are her feelings more important than the nurse who strongly believes abortion is wrong. It sounds like it will give people the ability to practice without forcing them to participate in something they find highly objectionable.
The biggest risk isn't when it comes to women who have appointments for abortions. Yes, if you have an appointment, it's safe to say that the doctor is okay with providing the service.
The biggest risk, I think, is when it comes to emergencies and traumatic situations. If a rape victim goes in to the hospital and happens to get a doctor who doesn't believe in emergency contraception (which isn't the same as abortion, but is still opposed by a lot of people, anyway), then it's possible the doctor won't even inform her of the option or offer to refer her to someone who can give her a prescription. And she may not be in a good frame of mind to think of it herself or demand proper care.
If a woman goes into the ER with pregnancy-related complications, and is denied the option of having an abortion, it may not be easy for her to go to another hospital to have one.
Another issue is that finding an abortion provider in the first place can be unduly prohibitive for many people, especially those with low incomes. If there's no abortion clinic in your town, there's no guarantee that you'll be able to afford to travel to another town to have the procedure done. That means travel costs and maybe even taking extra time off work.
