re: #238 KansasMom

Its an extremely robust requirement. First you have to find 2 docs willing to risk their lives to be involved at all. Secondly, the medical reason needs to be robust to say the least because legal challenges are guaranteed.

How many legal challenges have there been in Kansas. You are in effect saying (“guaranteed”) that every one of this physician’s late-term cases was legally challenged. I find that hard to believe. Are there even public records on this, strikes me that it would be hard to have as public at all with HIPAA requirements.

A google found this in a MSNBC article:

Kansas law says late-term abortions can be performed on viable fetuses after the 21st week of pregnancy only if a woman or girl faces death or “substantial and irreversible” harm to a major bodily function, a provision that has been interpreted to include her mental health. Doctors must file a report on each late-term abortion and must obtain a second opinion from an independent physician before performing the procedure.

So they need a 2d opinion. The same article said that the recently vetoed bill (supported by the pro-life people) would have increased reporting requirements for what that’s worth.

Again, my opinion about the medical necessity of such procedures is informed by a spouse who is a surgeon. Some fetal problems might make the procedure desirable later term, I guess (a late diagnosis of something terrible like anencephaly, for example).

I’m not a “social conservative.” I’m an atheist. None the less, I think that abortion after viability is abhorrent—as is murder (anyone who has not read above, I’m entirely against the extremists). I’m talking after something like 24 weeks+, I’m not talking about a few weeks after a 12 week amniocentesis. (not sure what they call “late term.”