US Court of Appeals for the 8th Circuit mandates that doctors lie to women about abortion

On Tuesday, July 24th the Court of Appeals for the 8th Circuit in St. Louis allowed legislation that requires doctors provide women with false information about abortion.

A quick recap…

A law was passed in South Dakota requiring that doctors tell women seeking abortion that the procedure is associated with an increased risk of suicide. As this claim is false an appeal was filed and the District Court appropriately stayed this legalisation, but it was overturned by the doctors scientists researchers justices (*cough*) of the Court of Appeals for the 8th Circuit:

Planned Parenthood Minnesota  v.  Mike Rounds
   U.S. Court of Appeals Case No:  09-3231
                          and No:  09-3233
                          and No:  09-3362
   U.S. District Court for the District of South Dakota - Sioux Falls    
   [PUBLISHED] [Gruender, Author, for the Court En Banc]
   Civil case - Abortion. District court erred in granting a permanent
   injunction enjoining a provision of a South Dakota statute requiring the
   disclosure to patients seeking an abortion of an increased risk of suicide
   ideation and suicide as the suicide advisory is non-misleading and
   relevant to the patient's decision to have an abortion; advisory does not
   place an undue burden on abortion rights and is not a violation of
   physicians' free speech rights. Judge Loken, concurring. Judge Colloton,
   concurring in part and concurring in the result. Judge Murphy, with
   whom Wollman, Bye and Melloy join, dissenting.

There is no association between abortion and suicide.

Let me say that again.

Abortion does not contribute to suicide, this is known fact and supported by a wealth of medical information. To say otherwise is misleading. While there is a link between depression and unwanted/undesired pregnancies, whether the pregnancy ends in a live birth or an abortion does not affect the depression or the suicide risk.

With the multitude of studies showing no link between abortion and suicide, to claim otherwise is to willfully disregard science in favor of one’s own personal belief system. And then what will stop state lawmakers from pushing for legislation to tell women that contraception is unsafe? And here I thought judges were supposed to be impartial and follow the facts.

Providing false medical information is malpractice and state sanctioned lying. It is Newspeak (and love the choice of words, non-misleading, sort of has a doublespeak ring to it) and a health care atrocity. But apparently, the 8th Circuit is unconcerned with facts or the freedom to have access to facts, what’s important is that American women get a government so small that it can be in every exam room in the country.

;

black white: loyal willingness to say black is white when party discipline demands this. It also means the ability to believe that black is white, and more, toknow black is white, and forget that one has ever believed the contrary. – George Orwell.