By Phil Lawler, Catholic Culture, Jun 11, 2019
The headline read:
Maine governor signs abortion bill allowing non-doctors to perform procedure
Thought experiment: Take the word “abortion” out of the headline, so that it reads:
Maine governor signs bill allowing non-doctors to perform procedure
You’d still know which “procedure” the legislators had in mind, wouldn’t you? Nobody is suggesting that nurse-practitioners should be allowed to do tonsillectomies, or that dental hygienists should do root canals. Nor is anyone suggesting that because the hygienist doesn’t do root canals, I’m being denied appropriate dental care. On the contrary, regulators would say that by insisting that only licensed dentists should do the work, they are ensuring that I do receive proper dental care.
Just days ago the head of Planned Parenthood was saying that before Roe v. Wade, thousands of women died each year because of substandard abortions. (There is zero evidence to support that claim, but it was dutifully relayed by the compliant mainstream media.) How is it, then, that a bid to reduce medical standards for the procedure is classified as a measure to protect women’s health?
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Phil Lawler has been a Catholic journalist for more than 30 years. He has edited several Catholic magazines and written eight books. Founder of Catholic World News, he is the news director and lead analyst at CatholicCulture.org. See full bio.