Now that the Supreme Court has struck down its restrictive abortion law, Texas’ Republican Governor Greg Abbott has come up with a new way to wage war on women’s choice.
From Reuters via RawStory:
“Texas is proposing new regulations for abortion providers that would require them to dispose of aborted fetal tissue either through burial or cremation, saying the measures are intended to preserve human dignity.
Abortion rights groups contend the regulations could help deter abortions in the socially conservative state. They would force providers to seek disposal through crematoriums or funeral homes, and those business could face a backlash if they are seen as being aligned with abortion providers.”
More costs and stigma to abortions
Texas’ Burnt Orange Report explains why the new rules pose more problems than extra steps and backlashes:
“It moves our rules closer to a recognition of fetal personhood, which is a dangerous precedent to set before a legislative session full of anti-abortion lawmakers who are angry over the most recent Supreme Court decision. It places an additional burden on abortion providers, who will have to take on the task of coordinating with funeral homes and who will almost certainly have to shoulder the cost of the cremation or burial. It reinforces the stigma surrounding abortion care, which is the motivation for anti-abortion legislation in the first place.
Finally, and perhaps most insidiously, it takes a roundabout way to prohibit the donation of fetal tissue for scientific research.”
Sneaking the new abortion rules into law
But wait, there’s more. Abbott is trying to slide the new rules past the public. He quietly published them, without announcement, in the state register. That starts the clock on a 30-day comment period. Afterward, the Health and Human Services Commission, which also developed the rules, will decide whether to adopt them.
Don’t forget, Abbott hates it when executives pass laws without going through the legislature. That is, he hates it when President Obama does it.
If you’re mad as hell, Burnt Orange has instructions for commenting on the proposed rule:
“Comments on the proposal may be submitted to Allison Hughes, Health Facilities Rules Coordinator, Health Care Quality Section, Division of Regulatory Services, Department of State Health Services, Mail Code 2822, P.O. Box 149347, Austin, Texas 78714-9347, (512) 834-6775 or by email to [email protected]. Please specify ‘Comments on special waste from health care-related facilities’ in the subject line.”
Watch The Texas Tribune’s report on this crafty move to force cremation or burial for aborted tissue, below.
Featured Image: Screenshot Via YouTube Video.
