Kansas Gives License to One Abortion Clinic

 

The license was awarded to Planned Parenthood of Kansas and Mid-Missouri, for a Kansas City-area clinic, the largest in the state. The other two providers, which previously said they were unable to meet the requirements, will be in federal court on Friday to seek an injunction to keep the law from taking effect.

“Notwithstanding that the regulations are burdensome and unnecessary, the findings of the inspection indicate what we have known and said throughout this process: Planned Parenthood operates with the highest standards of patient care and has rigorous safety procedures in place,” Peter B. Brownlie, president of the organization, said in a statement.

Part of a sweeping set of abortion limits approved this year, the regulations dictate the size of rooms, the stocking of emergency equipment, medication and blood supplies, and ties to nearby hospitals. They were formally issued in June and approved Thursday, allowing little time for the clinics to meet requirements they described as unnecessarily onerous.

Abortion opponents argued that the limits were necessary to ensure that basic medical standards were met for the safety of women. “The government has a right to demand a certain amount of protection for patients, so I have every confidence that these laws will be upheld,” said David Gittrich, development director for Kansans for Life, which lobbied for the regulations.

Though leaders at Planned Parenthood had maintained that they could meet the regulations, the license was denied earlier in the week by the Kansas Department of Health and Environment. That decision was reversed after another inspection on Thursday, after the clinic secured additional equipment and made procedural changes required under the rules. A lawsuit the organization filed challenging the denial will be withdrawn, Mr. Brownlie said.

If the other two Kansas City-area clinics close, Kansas will join two other states, South Dakota and Mississippi, that have just one abortion provider, according to a spokeswoman for the Guttmacher Institute, which tracks abortion statistics. “It will be very difficult for us to accommodate the volume of people they’re seeing,” Mr. Brownlie said.

In another challenge, a federal judge in South Dakota granted a preliminary injunction on Thursday to keep a new abortion law from taking effect. The judge ruled that the law’s requirements that a woman must first seek counseling at an anti-abortion pregnancy help center and then wait three days after an initial consultation before having an abortion appeared to constitute an undue burden on a woman’s right to the procedure.

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Banking sector gives up PPI fight

9 May 2011 Last updated at 03:37 ET  The Financial Services Authority believes the PPI compensation bill could be ￡4.5bn The banking industry has abandoned a legal fight over the mis-selling of payment protection insurance (PPI).

The British Bankers' Association, which fought the case, said it would not appeal after losing a court challenge against new rules on mis-selling.

Separately, Barclays Bank said it had set aside ￡1bn to pay PPI compensation, and RBS said it would not contest the court ruling.

Last week, Lloyds Banking Group made a ￡3.2bn provision for possible claims.

PPI policies are supposed to cover loan repayments if someone falls ill, has an accident or loses their job.

But the policies were mis-sold, many to self-employed or unemployed people who would not have been able to claim, and to consumers who did not realise they were taking out a policy.

Last month the High Court ruled that the banks were at fault.

'Important step'

In a statement the BBA said: "In the interest of providing certainty for their customers, the banks and the British Bankers' Association have decided that they do not intend to appeal."

Continue reading the main story

We don't always get things right: when we get them wrong, we apologise and put them right”

End Quote Bob Diamond Chief executive, Barclays Bank Royal Bank of Scotland confirmed on Monday that it would also be addressing customers' complaints, but said it had yet to decide how much to set aside for possible claims.

RBS said in a statement: "We are already in discussions with the FSA to clarify its requirements and the implications for our customers and shareholders.

"This is an important step for all UK banks in our efforts to restore the confidence and trust of consumers," it said.

HSBC has yet to make a statement on the issue following the BBA's announcement. The bank is due to release a first-quarter trading update later on Monday

'We apologise'

Barclays chief executive Bob Diamond said the bank would now begin the process of compensating customers.

"We don't always get things right: when we get them wrong, we apologise and put them right.

"We have taken this decision because it is in the best interests of our customers, as well as for Barclays and its shareholders. Creating certainty, particularly regarding past issues, is of benefit to all parties," Mr Diamond said.

The Financial Ombudsman Service welcomed the banks' decision to deal with the mis-selling.

"It's very good news that the banks will not be appealing the High Court's clear-cut judgment, which endorsed the ombudsman and FSA's approach to PPI complaints," said chief ombudsman Natalie Ceeney.

"Consumers should come to us at the ombudsman if they're unsure about what to do next. Meanwhile we will be working with the banks, over the coming weeks, to ensure that consumers' complaints are dealt with fairly and promptly."

The Financial Services Authority has estimated that banks will have to pay up to ￡4.5bn to settle the thousands of claims.