Lincoln senator wants to prevent telemedicine abortions in Nebraska

[Omaha Steve]

http://journalstar.com/news/state-and-regional/article_33904214-76fd-559f-b12c-6e232b1ce454.html

By JoANNE YOUNG / Lincoln Journal Star JournalStar.com | Posted: Monday, January 17, 2011 11:00 pm

Lincoln Sen. Tony Fulton doesn't want to see telemedicine abortion creep across the border.

More than 2,000 abortions that use the RU-486 chemical method dispensed via telemedicine have been performed in Iowa since June 2008, according to Jill June, executive director of Planned Parenthood of the Heartland, which serves Nebraska, 86 counties in Iowa and three in Illinois.

The Iowa procedure is said to be the first of its kind in the nation.

"Before they have the opportunity to do it (in Nebraska), we'd like to enact this law," Fulton said.

Fulton is expected to introduce a bill Tuesday to require a doctor who is prescribing and administering the abortion drug RU-486 to be physically there with the patient rather than a remote location and viewed on a live video screen.

"For the safety of the mother, it is not unreasonable to ask the doctor to be present," he said.

FULL story at link.

[May Hamm]

1. Interesting

What a great way to expand access to legal medical treatment. ( I mean telemed, not the proposed legislation.)

[Maine_Nurse]

2. I call Bullshit

Telemedicine is fairly well established and used for some pretty critical work. That "safety" line is utter crap.

[uppityperson]

3. I call bs also. Very doubtful that it would have an immediate negative effect,

and so long as, like any medicine (antibiotics included) the patient understood possible side effects and what to do about them, no more dangerous that telemedding any other medicine.