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Editorial
 Vermont:
The Pro-Abortion State
By Mary Beerworth
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What IS legal in Vermont?
When the U.S. Supreme Court’s
Roe v. Wade decision made abortion legal in all 50 states in 1973,
the Vermont law prohibiting abortion had already been nullified by the
Vermont Supreme Court ruling in the Beecham v. Leahy case in January
1972. Legislative efforts shortly before and after that state ruling attempted
to place significant restrictions on the practice of abortion here, but
no law was ever enacted.
As a result, the Beecham
court ruling has left no regulation of abortion in state statute. It
is perfectly legal for an abortion to be performed in Vermont at any stage
of pregnancy for any reason or for no reason.
Another ruling in 1986 at
the Superior Court level required Vermont taxpayers to pay for all "medically
necessary" abortions for any woman who qualifies for state-funded "healthcare".
As in the U.S. Supreme Court’s Doe v. Bolton ruling of 1973, the
term "medically necessary" was defined to include virtually all abortions
that an abortion provider agrees to perform. The Vermont Dr. Dynasaur program
also allows young pregnant women to call their unborn child a family member
in order to meet the income eligibility requirements and then use the funds
to pay for an abortion. While the state-funded Dr. Dynasaur program pays
for even minor girls to have abortions, the state does not notify parents.
Other states have acted through
their state legislatures to place restrictions on abortion and provide
protections for pregnant women and their pre-born babies. Vermont has NOT.
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State laws
|
How many states have?
|
Vermont?
|
| Parental
Involvement Law1 |
45
states (36 are enforceable) |
No
|
| "Woman’s
Right to Know" Law1 |
31
states (23 are enforceable) |
No
|
| Tax-funding
of abortion prohibited1 |
33
states |
No
|
| "Unborn
Victims of Violence" Law2 |
34
states |
No
|
| Conscience
protection law for healthcare workers1 |
47
states |
No
|
1NARAL
Pro-Choice America website: www.prochoiceamerica.org
2National Right
to Life Committee website: www.nrlc.org |
Vermont is one of only a
very few states that allow abortions to be performed by non-physicians
(physician assistants, nurse practioners, and nurse mid-wives). The only
statute that pertains to abortion in Vermont is a requirement that each
"induced termination of pregnancy" be reported to the Vermont Department
of Health within 7 days, for the purposes of data collection.
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What do we know about abortions
in Vermont?
From the annual Vital Statistics
reports published by the state Department of Health, we know that the number
of abortions in Vermont declined every year between 1985 when 3,497 babies
were aborted and 2001 when the number had dropped to 1,550. This trend
was accompanied by a decline in the number of women of childbearing age
and the number of births. But in 2002 and 2003, the number of reported
abortions began to increase, particularly among women between the ages
of 18 and 24. Whether these trends are continuing cannot be known until
more recent data is released by the health department.
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Vermont Abortions (Source:
Vt. Department of Health Vital Statistics reports)
In 2003, 1,696 abortions
were performed in Vermont, compared to 6,589 babies born. This means one
baby was aborted for every four babies born in Vermont that year.
Of the abortions that year,
119 were done to girls under the age of 18. The majority of abortions were
performed by non-physicians, including nurse practitioners, physician assistants
and others. Of the total, 7.7 percent, or 130 abortions, were performed
in the second trimester of pregnancy, after 12 weeks of gestation. In 2001,
the State of Vermont paid for 366 abortions with taxpayer dollars. At an
average cost of $357, the cost to taxpayers that year was $130,671.92.
(Source: 2006 Lifepages, Vermont Right to Life Committee)
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Who is performing abortions
in Vermont?
Planned Parenthood of Northern
New England now owns and operates all of the abortion clinics in Vermont,
providing over 90% of all abortions in Vermont by their own admission.
Of their 15 clinics throughout the state, abortions are provided at four
of them: Burlington, Barre, Rutland, and Williston. Surgical abortions
are performed in three of these locations, and "medical" or RU-486 abortions
are now available at all four, including the Planned Parenthood Express
in Williston. Planned Parenthood offers no prenatal care at any of
their 15 Vermont sites. Planned Parenthood of Vermont receives $7 million
dollars annually from the federal government (Title X) and $300,000.00
from Vermont’s General Fund each year – and yet just one "choice" is offered
in their clinics to young girls and women facing an unplanned pregnancy.
It is important to remember that Planned Parenthood of America has such
a radical abortion agenda that some states choose to shun them – yet Planned
Parenthood of Vermont likes to refer to itself as a "partner" with the
Vermont Department of Health.
In Vermont, when minors seek
abortions, there is no requirement that parents be informed. In fact, Planned
Parenthood of Northern New England is committed to offering secret abortions
to minors, as evidenced by their recent challenge of New Hampshire’s parental
notification law to the U.S. Supreme Court.
In the most recent report
for 2003, 1,471 of the 1,500 abortions in these three largest counties
were performed in clinics. A total of 36 throughout the state were reported
by hospitals and another 189 in doctors’ offices.
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Abortions in VT 2003:
by county in which performed
|
| Addison |
2
|
| Bennington |
2
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| Caledonia |
1
|
| Chittenden |
956
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| Orleans |
18
|
| Rutland |
279
|
| Washington |
265
|
| Windham |
55
|
| Windsor |
118
|
| Total |
1,696
|
| Source:
2003 Vital Statistics report, Dept of Health |
According to the Vt. Health
Department, the number of abortions in Vermont decreased each year for
over a decade but started to climb after 2001 when 1,513 lives were ended
by abortion. In the next two years the number of yearly abortions increased
by 183 to reach 1,696 abortions in 2003, an increase of more than 12%.
At a time when the number
of abortions is dropping nationally, Vermont is reaping what it has been
sowing. More abortions can only be the result when a State is content to
prop up the abortion business with taxpayer funds and content to ignore
reasonable legislative measures to protect young teens and women. One thing
is certain, Planned Parenthood, a very profitable "non-profit," is surely
grateful.
--Mary Hahn Beerworth
is Executive Director of the Vermont Right to Life Committee.
--Contributing volunteer
research assistant, Michele Morin, Burlington
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