Mich. bills limiting abortions closer to becoming law

• Sweeping bills on abortion options clear Senate, await House vote

Two sweeping bills aimed at limiting abortion options moved closer to Gov. Rick Snyder's desk Wednesday, adding to two others already awaiting his signature.

From a chaotic Lansing, where protests over right-to-work this week had overshadowed abortion concerns, Ed Rivet, spokesman for Michigan Right to Life, was thrilled.

"Those three issues were our top issues: conscience, insurance, and regulation and reform," he said, referring to the issues addressed in the bills. "That we're doing them all simultaneously is pretty remarkable.

"This is a bit of rewards for 25 years of work."

One bill passed the Senate 27-10 and calls for more stringent licensing of abortion clinics; the other passed out of the House Insurance Committee into the full House and would allow health care providers to refuse service based on moral objections, religious reasons or matters of conscience.

Both bills must be voted on by the full House.

Two bills already on Snyder's desk would limit abortion coverage on policies sold on a statewide health insurance exchange unless consumers purchase it as an add-on to their policy. The exchange is a web-based marketplace where consumers will be able to buy insurance as health care reform takes full effect in 2014.

All this means the legislation's opponents are turning their attention to the governor's office.

"We're really looking to the governor to do what's right for Michigan and focus on economic recovery and not be distracted by social agendas," said Dr. Matthew Allswede, treasurer of the Michigan section of the American Congress of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, which opposes the bills as they are written.

The bill that regulates clinic operations would:

• Require abortion clinics to be licensed and adhere to the same standards and regulations as free-standing surgical clinics. Most in Michigan are not licensed that way now.

• Prohibit a doctor from performing an abortion until determining that a woman hasn't been coerced into undergoing the procedure.

• Dictate how to dispose of fetal remains.

The bill carving out special protections for health care providers seemed unnecessary, said Colin Ford, director of state and federal government relations for the Michigan State Medical Society.

Doctors opposed to certain procedures -- blood transfusions or circumcisions, for example -- sometimes align themselves with other doctors who offer those services. This informal system protects doctors' beliefs, but also provides patients access, Ford said.

"On one hand, we really respect the autonomy of a physician to participate or not participate in a procedure," he said. "But we have concerns about what the bill could lead to in terms of access. This may be something that has only minor impact in delivery, but we don't know."

Already sitting in front of Snyder is legislation that began as completely unrelated to abortion -- rather it addressed proposed business changes to Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan. But last-minute amendments prohibit insurance coverage for abortions unless coverage is purchased as a rider to policies that will be sold on the state's health insurance exchange.

Opponents said that requirement essentially cuts off health insurance for abortions because consumers won't purchase such insurance in advance.

The Michigan gynecologists group took exception to another requirement -- that doctors try to determine whether their patients have been coerced into an abortion. As a matter of good practice, doctors already ask patients questions to make sure they are comfortable with medical procedures, Allswede said.

If the bill becomes law, he said, doctors will essentially be forced to recite from a state-approved script and possibly report their findings to the state after those discussions.

"It puts a physician in the position of asking questions and being perceived as part of law enforcement," he said.

Democrats tried to get a series of amendments added to the bill, including one that would require physicians to determine whether a vasectomy sought by a man was medically necessary and whether he was being coerced into getting the procedure.

"What's good for the goose is good for the gander," said state Sen. Rebekah Warren, D-Ann Arbor.

But each of Warren's amendments failed.

State Sen. Rick Jones, R-Grand Ledge, said the bill is a "pro-woman" bill that will ensure that abortion clinics are "licensed, inspected and safe."

State Sen. Coleman Young II, D-Detroit, the son of former Detroit Mayor Coleman Young, disagreed, saying the Legislature is reaching too far into women's personal choices.

He said his mother was pressured to get an abortion when she was pregnant with him, but she refused.

"My mother told me that this was a decision that she made, but would she would never make that decision for another woman," he said. "This is just one more attempt to push an ideological agenda to stop a woman's right to choose."

Lori Lamerand, president of Planned Parenthood of Michigan, which operates 25 health centers in the state, including four that provide abortions, said abortion providers statewide would be happy to be licensed and regulated by the state, but that the bills passed by the Senate were overreaching and would result in many clinics having to close their doors.

If they're regulated like stand-alone surgical centers, the size of the medical rooms and recovery areas would have to grow.

"There are 32 providers and 28 of them are not licensed, and they would have to meet the new requirements," she said. "Some of these buildings can't be renovated, and they would have to close."

Renee Chelian, president of the Northland Family Planning Centers in Southfield, Westland and Sterling Heights, said there's nothing in the bill that makes abortion safer.

"This is all about limiting access," she said.

The vote was primarily along party lines, with Sens. Tupac Hunter, D-Detroit, and John Gleason, D-Flushing, joining most Republicans in supporting it.

Sen. Roger Kahn, R-Saginaw Township, a doctor, did not vote on the bill.