Do we really want telemed abortion services in C.R.?

Cecile Richards, president of Planned Parenthood Federation of America, recently visited Cedar Rapids to celebrate Planned Parenthood of East Central Iowa's 30th anniversary. She announced that the telemed abortion service that Planned Parenthood pioneered in the Des Moines area is planned for Cedar Rapids.

This involves dispensing RU-486, the abortion pill, to patients via teleconferencing methods with a doctor not located physically at the same facility.

How telemed works: A woman could come to Cedar Rapids Planned Parenthood unsure if she is pregnant. A pregnancy test reveals she is pregnant. Then an ultrasound is done to determine how far along she is. If she is no more than nine weeks along, she is eligible for RU-486.

This information is sent via e-mail to a doctor at another location. The patient and doctor then have a consultation via teleconference.

If the patient is abortion-minded following the consultation, the doctor clicks a button on his computer, the doctor instructs the patient to ingest the first abortion pill, Mifeprex. Then, the patient is giving Misoprostol to take home, thus allowing her to suffer a miscarriage and terminate the pregnancy at home.

Do we really want this in Cedar Rapids? I don't.

Sue Martinek

Cedar Rapids

Coalition For Life of Iowa