“Legal realities snag surgical care proposal”
The Fort Wayne News Sentinel reports:
A Washington, D.C.-based legal advocacy group specializing in religious and pro-life causes has offered to represent Allen County – for free! – if it is sued for trying to protect women who have had outpatient surgical procedures . . .
The original proposal, drafted by Allen County Right to Life attorney James Howard, would have required hospital privileges for doctors who “perform any type of surgical tissue removal procedure.” But fear of a lawsuit has apparently eroded support for the proposal on the three-member Board of Commissioners, causing Commissioner Nelson Peters to consider changes that would explicitly include other procedures, not just abortion. “You need to be careful about not being accused of discrimination,” Peters said . . .
The Alliance Defense Fund doesn’t normally defend government’s right to regulate cosmetic surge . . . Would the changes contemplated by Peters lessen the ADF’s enthusiasm? “We would have to review it and would need to be persuaded it is a defensible case. We don’t care about politics,” Aden said . . .