Fox's Michelle Malkin Misleads On The Consequences Of Texas Abortion Bill

Fox News contributor Michelle Malkin falsely claimed that provisions in Texas' controversial abortion bill would make women safer. Her assertion ignores that the state already performs annual inspections of abortion clinics as well as expert testimony which argues that the legislation would actually “erode women's health.”

On the July 8 edition of Fox News' America Live, Malkin joined guest host Alisyn Camerota to discuss the controversial legislation that would outlaw abortion procedures after 20 weeks with exceptions only for the life of the mother, require abortion clinics to meet the same requirements as ambulatory surgical centers, and require abortion providers to have permission to admit patients at a hospital within 30 miles of the provider's facility. Despite these sweeping restrictions, which would be some of the strictest in the country, Malkin claimed that the Texas legislation was simply a question of whether or not abortion providers would “abide by standards that will ensure safety”:

According to Dallas Newshowever, the Texas Department of Social and Health Services (DSHS) inspects abortion clinics every year, while it inspects surgical centers only every three years. Furthermore, in 2011, no pregnant females died of abortion-related causes in the state, while there were 116 deaths associated with pregnancy complications.

Medical experts including the American Congress of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) argue that the Texas legislation would “jeopardize women's health care as well as interfere with medical practice and the patient-physician relationship.”  Additionally, Dr. Lisa M. Hollier, ACOG's Texas district chairwoman said in July that “The bills would erode women's health by denying the women of Texas the benefits of well-researched, safe and proven protocols.”