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Perinatal Hospice Bill on way to Oklahoma Governor

Apr 22, 2014

 

By Dave Andrusko

PerinatalhospiceGood news. When last we wrote about Oklahoma’s HB 2685—the Perinatal Hospice Bill—it had one last hurtle to surmount before it would be heard by the state Senate. Not only was that overcome, HB 2685 passed the Senate and is now on its way to Gov. Mary Fallin.

What is the bill intended to address? Something we have written about before in NRL News Today: those rare but tragic circumstance where a pregnant woman is told that her unborn child has a fetal anomaly incompatible with life.

All too often the mother is encouraged to consider abortion as the “humane” response to such a diagnosis. HB 2685 is the pro-life alternative.

When the bill is signed into law, the mother in these circumstances will receive information about public and private agencies and services available to her which offer perinatal hospice and palliative care if, instead of abortion, she decides to carry her baby to term.

“Our throw-away culture today too often exhibits a coarsened attitude toward the intrinsic value of each individual human life – especially the life of a child with a diagnosis of severe or lethal disability – and too readily regards killing as an acceptable ‘solution’ in such a case,” said Tony Lauinger, State Chairman, Oklahomans for Life. “The least we should do when a family faces the heartbreak of such a diagnosis is provide them information about the positive alternative of perinatal hospice, comfort care, and family counseling.”

Earlier this month, NRL President Carol Tobias eloquently wrote about “Pro-Life Caring, Pro-Life Compassion.”  I would like to quote from her post:

It must be a devastating thing to be told your unborn child might have a condition incompatible with sustaining life. Sometimes, of course, the child survives and thrives despite the diagnosis. But when these tragedies do occur, they are very real and painful to the families. And often, the attending medical personnel recommend, or even pressure, the mother to abort.

In response to these tragedies, our state Right to Life affiliate worked with advocates, legislators, and NRLC, and passed an amendment to the state’s Woman’s Right to Know informed consent law to ensure parents would receive helpful information about public and private agencies and services that offer life-affirming hospice for these infants (called perinatal hospice), with palliative care, and counseling for the parents.

Armed with such support, the parents could partner with these agencies to help their children receive the love and nurturing they need and deserve. Knowing this support is available in such a difficult circumstance, parents are far less likely to succumb to pressure to abort. …

Intentionally taking the child’s life is no answer – any more than killing any other individual with a disability would be justified. “Perfection” is something none of us can claim, and using “quality control” as grounds for aborting a baby is unworthy of a society that respects the sanctity of each innocent human life.

There are many effective ways we can fight against the notion that some life can be deemed “disposable.” Support for laws like this in states across the country is one such way.

Congratulations to Oklahomans for Life!

Categories: Hospice Legislation