Lawmakers Push Ultrasound Bills as More Americans Say They're Pro-Life

[underpants]

Source: Fox News

* the "Lawmakers" specifically cited in this article are in Oklahoma and Nebraska*


The change, doctors say, may be directly linked to the frequency and improved quality of ultrasound -- a medical imaging technique that allows doctors to view the size, structure and vital organs of a fetus.

Massachusetts Dr. Eric J. Keroack told FOX News that during a two-year study 75 percent of his patients who were unsure about terminating a pregnancy decided not to have an abortion after they opted to view the ultrasound images.

Abortion opponents in legislatures across the nation are now lobbying for laws to require that women seeking an abortion view an ultrasound -- or at least have the option to do so -- in an effort to decrease the abortion rate.

Six states currently require verbal counseling or written materials to include information on accessing ultrasound services, and 12 states regulate the provision of ultrasound by abortion providers.

Read more: http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2009/05/18/lawmakers-push-ultrasounds-effort-reduce-number-abortions/

---

Nancy Keenan, president of NARAL Pro-Choice America, also expressed opposition to a law that forces pregnant women to view an ultrasound. "Women would rather talk to their doctor about information they need to make private, personal medical decisions -- this is not a place for interference by politicians," she said.

"We do not oppose legislation that allows a woman the option to view an ultrasound that she has requested or that her doctor determines is medically necessary," Keenan said.

[Ilsa]

1. Well, maybe they should go all out:

"We want you to sit in this room of nannies taking care of clean, happy babies." versus

"We want you to sit in this room for twenty years with crying, hungry infants with dirty diapers."

[Kutjara]

2. No doubt there'll be a rider on the bill, requiring...

...the ultrasounds to be presented to the patient in a pink (or blue) angel-clad frame, with a pair of tiny booties draped over it. The frame would have to be one of those musical ones, that play "Thank Heavens for Little Girls" or "Danny Boy" (as appropriate) whenever the frame is picked up.


Hey, if we're going to base important life-decisions on emotional manipulation, why not go the whole hog?

[underpants]

3. If I remember correctly from OUR pregnancy there is a risk with ultrasounds

we didn't have one. We were going to go full term regardless of what was "wrong" with our future little one. This was not the general consensus out here in the 'burbs as I found out during the process.

[defendandprotect]

20. Exactly . . . it is thought by some to actually be disturbing to the fetus . . .

some suggest you can see the fetus trying to move away from this

electric impulse.

They are NOT going to be able to demand that women be subjected to a test

they don't want --

And further, if they move the idea of ultrasound tests, it may cause more

abortions for a number of reasons . . .

some may abort for gender -- it's happened before, elsewhere.

More may become aware of genetic problems and decide to abort?

[struggle4progress]

4. How about federally-funded prenatal care (including any needed ultrasound)?

That's my idea of a compromise

[GoddessOfGuinness]

34. ...and well-baby care

If people are really pro-life, and not merely pro-fetus, they can't possibly object.

[and-justice-for-all]

5. Yeah, an ultrasound that the women will have to pay for..

If you plan to have one, it is best to do it before the developmental stage.

And this is also Fucked Noise, so it is a highly questionable piece. It is most likely propaganda to sway the public...

[underpants]

6. What makes you say that?

was it the mention in 4 of the first 5 paragraphs (including the sub-headline that is repeated twice) that mentions the MASSIVE swing in the public's opinion to be "pro-life"???

Yes you are right. That is exactly what this is. Nothing attracts a crowd like a crowd, everyone is doing it!!, etc.

[and-justice-for-all]

9. Because they(palin) wanted to do it with Rape Victims...

making them PAY for their 'kit' or whatever it is called, I forgot..sorry

So it would be safe to assume, that if THEY want you to have an ultrasound(which has to be paid for) it is going to come out of the woman's pocket.

[underpants]

13. I think we skipped a step

Yes the women will probably have to pay at least a deductible but WHO will she pay? Why health insurance companies

It's a WIN WIN

:sarcasm:

[JerseygirlCT]

7. More treating women like ignorant children

who need to be led to a "correct" decision. Or should I say "manipulated" to that decision?

Women in that position deserve all the information they need and they want as part of *their* decision-making. They don't require an U/S if they don't want one.

This is more nonsense from the right, and more degradation of women.

[underpants]

10. This reminds me of "abortion counseling centers"

I was told that many of the ones around here (Richmond VA) are really just fronts for "pro-life" people to berate, embarrass, and harangue women considering it to not have abortions.

[JerseygirlCT]

12. Yup. They catch women at a most vulnerable moment

and bring them in with soft-focus ads promising help. Then they subject them to the rough treatment - as you describe. They're despicable.

Don't get me wrong - if someone is willing to provide help for a woman who would otherwise like to carry to term, I'm all for it. But it ought to be done honestly and above board.

[Quantess]

16. True. When they give you the pregnancy test,

the clinic volunteers get excited at a positive pregnancy test, and seem crestfallen to see a negative pregnancy test.

I know this because I've gotten pregnancy tests at places like that back when I was a student. This was back when HPTs cost at least $10, before The Dollar Tree started selling HPTs. I was broke and I thought I'd take them up on the offer of free pregnancy tests.

When they give you the results, be prepared that if the result is positive, you have to tell them you plan to keep it, regardless of your true intentions. Otherwise they'll keep you there until you promise to not get an abortion.

But I never saw such disappointed faces, as when the HPT was negative. Of course, to them it meant that there was no baby to be "saved" that day.

[defendandprotect]

21. Meanwhile, what if the woman wants the abortion anyway, but the

contributing male is disturbed by the ultrasound pictures -- and doesn't

want abortion?

OR, vice versa?

Maybe the whole family can get copies of the ultrasound pics -- ?

Maybe everyone in town?

[JerseygirlCT]

27. Well, the contributing male has no say in the matter, legally

It's her body, and it's her choice - as the saying goes.

But sure, plenty of pressure can be brought to bear on the decision-maker - not all of it well-intentioned, and often none of it focused on her needs or wants.

[defendandprotect]

29. True . . . and if the male wants an abortion . . .

he might exaggerate or lie to her about something about the ultrasounds pic --

family might put pressure on a woman if they don't want an inter-racial off-spring,

for instance?

Lots of possibilities --

[CTyankee]

8. This will not change a damn thing as long as women desperately want to end a pregnancy!

It will not happen. Those women will insist that they cannot and should not have a child.

The only way to REDUCE (I did not say END) unwanted pregnancy is thru increased availablility of contraception. Period, the end.

Abortions were reduced during Clinton's administration. They went up during Bush's. What does that tell you?

[and-justice-for-all]

11. Ok, lets say that a mentally handicapped women is raped..

and becomes pregnant. She obviously does not have the facilities to care for a child, will they make her have an ultrasound or force her to carry the child to term??

Who makes the decision for her? the right thing to do, would be to terminate the pregnancy but the morons can not see the forest before the trees, oh no. All the can not think in those terms or the many other situations that a women may be facing when thinking about an abortion.

The next thing they will try to do is hand out prison sentences for miscarriages!

[Greybnk48]

14. More legalized torture.

How can a woman legally be forced to have a medical procedure? Especially one with such a psychological impact. Pricks. Unreal.

[SemperEadem]

15. No, this is a misleading poll

if more americans were pro-life, then there would have been a really, really loud outcry regarding all of the air-breathing humans we are mowing down left and right in our little lie war over in Iraq... there would be a really, really loud outcry to capital punishment in this country. There isn't.

No, the country is anti-choice, not pro life (until it's their choice that is impacted). Huge difference.

[underpants]

18. Yes and there are two other aspects of the suddenly oft cited poll

1. if people really are suddenly so anti-choice they sure aren't voting like they are
2. IF these numbers are real (we'll see after the next poll-IF we are allowed to know about it) IF they are real some of this may just be people wanting to take a moral highground and think of themselves as being all about babies.

[defendandprotect]

22. Like everything else the right-wing does . .. propaganda, lies . . .

[GoddessOfGuinness]

35. I think most Americans are pro-life and pro-choice.

I'm sure there are many like me, who are offended by the notion being spread that those who are pro-choice are anti-life.

I'd like to know precisely how the poll was worded.

[truthisfreedom]

17. Bull-fucking shit. NO WAY SHOULD MANDATORY ULTRASOUNDS BE TAKEN. This subjects a developing fetus

to HIGH-ENERGY SOUND WAVES and nobody knows what kind of damage that could do.

There's no reason we need to irradiate our unborn with the same kind of high-energy sound that drives dolphins up on the beach.

[defendandprotect]

23. I agree . . . but the medical community is still trusted - tho gawd knows why--!!!

The huge numbers of Cesareans being done now -- on appointment basis -- is

mind-boggling and frightening!!!

But, they began on this decades ago -- "convenient for mothers/family" -- !!!

[Rage for Order]

33. Lol...you can't be serious

"This subjects a developing fetus to HIGH-ENERGY SOUND WAVES and nobody knows what kind of damage that could do."

Call me crazy, but I think it's safe to assume that an ultrasound wouldn't cause any more damage to the fetus than the planned abortion would cause.

[cambie]

19. Pro-life

Is a weasel-phrase. Pashtun children are a form of life, even fundies would admit to it. I never hear them suggest that we should torch fewer of them with phosphorus shells. Why is that?

[defendandprotect]

24. Too easy to sell the "warrior god" these days!!!

[LeftyMom]

25. Ultrasounds in early pregnancy are TRANSVAGINAL.

Call me crazy, but I don't like the idea of a state mandate to stick a foreign object in a woman's vagina. Especially considering that some women seeking abortions will have a history that would make that sort of invasive procedure unacceptably traumatic, especially when it is not needed.

Ultrasounds are already provided to abortion-seeking women when medically indicated, such as when she is unsure as to the date of her last menstrual period and the pregnancy needs to be dated to decide on the correct procedure.

[No Elephants]

26. Take your no choice jackboots offa women, once and for all! Er, assuming Faux is correct, of course

[Algorem]

28. all fetuses must be provided cell phones

[panzerfaust]

30. Most EVERYONE is PRO Life, and PRO Choice

These are simplistic, meaningless, divisive labels.

The question is not now, and never has been about "will there be abortions" - because there always have been, and always will be.

The question is will there be safe (to the adult human involved) legal abortions which can be obtained by ordinary citizens, or will safe abortions be, as they were until a generation ago, only available to the rich or well connected?

Abortion is not a decision that anyone makes lightly. It is not an area into which the state should intrude and force people to decide not only between life and death, but between legal and illegal.

[ohio2007]

31. except the rest . Those are the "undecided" .....residing in congress.

[Mushroom]

32. Well...

The pro-life camp may have a BS gallup poll, but we have this timely documentary to pass around:

PBS Frontline/The Last Abortion Clinic:

http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/clinic/view/

"But while the spotlight has been on Washington, there is an equally significant story playing out in local communities. Pro-life advocates have been successfully spearheading campaigns in states throughout the country to pass laws that regulate and limit access to abortion.

According to one abortion provider in the South, who prefers to remain anonymous: "The assault on abortion rights is very clever. It's very smart. And we are losing."

In the summer of 2005 -- more than 30 years after Roe v. Wade established that access to abortion services is a fundamental right -- a FRONTLINE documentary team spent two months traveling across the South where states have been particularly active in passing restrictions on abortion. In interviews with abortion providers and their patients, staff at a pro-life pregnancy counseling center and key legal strategists on both sides of the national debate, FRONTLINE producer Raney Aronson (The Jesus Factor) documents the success of the pro-life movement and the growing number of states with regulations limiting access to abortion."

:patriot: