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New bill requires doctors to offer ultrasounds to women seeking abortions

Written by The Shorthorn editorial board

Tuesday, 05 May 2009 07:31 PM

Legislators in Austin, mostly male, have decided that they know best when it comes to making decisions for women about abortion and want to force them to hear the heartbeat of the fetus before the procedure in an effort to change their minds.

The Texas Legislature passed a bill 20-9 last week that will require a doctor to offer women seeking abortions the option of having an ultrasound performed and looking at the results.

This was the watered down version.

The original bill, from State Sen. Dan Patrick, R-Houston, would have forced women to undergo the ultrasound. This is a blatant effort to chip away at the law until women are so uncomfortable and ashamed about getting an abortion that they change their mind.

The bill is redundant — all women having an abortion have an ultrasound performed, the only difference is that now they would be required to listen to the heartbeat and the image would be described in detail. There is also a requirement for literature to be read to them about effects like a connection between breast cancer and abortion. The information about breast cancer being linked to abortion has been disputed by the American Cancer Society, which says no cause-and-effect relationship between breast cancer and abortion.

The social stigma behind this very difficult decision some women have to make in their lives will never stop while lawmakers believe they have the authority to tell a woman what she is allowed to decide for herself and her family.

It is easier to get a gun in Texas than an abortion. According to the National Conference of State Legislatures, 33 states require mandatory counseling to obtain an abortion, and 28 states have a waiting period. Seven states give information that links breast cancer to abortion, eight states discuss fetal pain during the counseling and 20 states discuss the impact on mental health. The counseling sessions most likely help the situation, but the laws requiring it were passed with the intention of talking women out of getting abortions.

Holly Morgan, director of media relations for Planned Parenthood in North Texas, said legislators have been trying to use the ultrasound as a political tool to make women view and hear the heartbeat whether they want to or not.

“It seems to be a way to shame women into changing their minds about having a procedure done that is already undoubtedly a difficult decision to make,” she said. “No one likes abortion and every human values life.”

Anti-abortion advocates are pushing for this legislation to change the woman’s mind, according to recent articles in the Dallas Morning News.

Trying to chip away at abortion laws, or even a total ban will not work. When abortion was banned, women were getting them in shady clinics or performing them on themselves. Attempting to pass legislation that could have the same effect is ridiculous when we can learn a better way from the history we have already seen.

Editorial Roundup

The Issue: The Texas Legislature passed a bill requiring doctors to give women receiving abortions the option of an ultrasound to hear the heartbeat in an effort to change their minds.

We Suggest: The legislature should not be making decisions to force procedures on women seeking abortions. Making them jump through hoops isn’t the answer.

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Last Updated ( Thursday, 20 August 2009 10:37 AM )

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