After losing in court, Planned Parenthood has announced that it will no longer provide abortion services at seven of its ten clinics in the state.
For background, read Arizona Abortion Restrictions OK'd by Court
UPDATE 12/16/11: Planned Parenthood resumes abortion services at two recently-closed clinics
-- From "Planned Parenthood to end abortions in three Arizona cities" by The Associated Press 8/19/11
Starting Friday, women will no longer be able to terminate pregnancies at the Planned Parenthood clinics in Prescott Valley, Flagstaff and Yuma that offered abortions through medication. Women can still receive surgical and medication abortions in the Tucson and Phoenix areas, but those services will cease at some suburban locations.
The move comes a week after an Arizona appeals court allowed key parts of a 2009 state law restricting abortions to take effect. The law includes a requirement that women see a doctor in person the day before getting an abortion to hear about risks and alternatives, and allows healthcare workers to refuse to participate in abortions for moral or religious reasons.
[Bryan Howard, president of Planned Parenthood in Arizona] said the group probably would appeal the ruling to the Arizona Supreme Court and feared the decision could doom a separate challenge over 2011 laws regarding abortion.
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From "Abortions discontinued at 7 locations in Arizona" by Howard Fischer, Capitol Media Services, Arizona Daily Star 8/19/11
. . . Cathi Herrod, president of the anti-abortion Center for Arizona Policy, said Planned Parenthood was simply making "a business decision" in ending abortions at the seven sites.
"They will end their services rather than raising the standard of care to meet the law's requirement," she said. "All Planned Parenthood had to do was to find doctors to work at their clinics to continue providing the abortion services."
Complicating matters from Planned Parenthood's perspective is the fact that state law bans the teaching of abortion at the University of Arizona College of Medicine. Howard said that limits the number of new doctors who can be hired.
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