FORSYTHE and SMITH: Disclosing the abortion-suicide association

It’s time to lift the veil on hidden health risks of terminating pregnancy
By Clarke Forsythe and Mailee Smith
The Washington Times Monday, February 20, 2012

All 11 active judges of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 8th Circuit in St. Louis recently heard one of the most important abortion cases in the federal courts today. The case, Planned Parenthood v. Rounds, involves a South Dakota statute requiring informed consent before a woman undergoes an abortion. While many in the media have focused on the controversies surrounding President Obama’s health care law, this case actually is one of the most significant events on the life issue today.

The hearing focused on what the courts have called “the suicide advisory”: the statute’s requirement that abortion providers give patients “a description of all known medical risks of the procedure and statistically significant risk factors … including … depression [and] increased risk of suicide ideation and suicide.”

This case is the latest example of how the lower federal courts repeatedly have tied up reasonable abortion regulations for years, preventing the regulations from taking effect, even when there is direct language from prior Supreme Court decisions supporting the purpose of the law. FULL STORY