S.C. Legislature Approves Abortion Ultrasound Measure

Main Category: Abortion
Also Included In: MRI / PET / Ultrasound
Article Date: 22 Apr 2008 - 7:00 PDT

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The South Carolina Legislature on Thursday approved a bill (S 84) that would require abortion providers to ask women seeking abortions whether they want to see ultrasound images of the fetus before undergoing the procedure, the AP/San Jose Mercury News reports. The bill does not require women to have ultrasounds, although clinics already perform ultrasounds before nearly all abortions to verify the age of the fetus, according to the AP/Mercury News.

After more than one year of debate over whether women should be required to view the ultrasound images, legislators announced a compromise Thursday that does not require viewing but does require women who choose to view the image to wait at least one hour before having an abortion. The measure now goes to Gov. Mark Sanford (R), who has said he generally supports the bill but will review it before making a final decision on whether to sign it (AP/San Jose Mercury News, 4/17).

Under the legislation, physicians would be required to tell women they can view the ultrasound while it is being performed, after it is completed or not at all. Critics of requiring ultrasounds said the procedures can be invasive and painful in certain cases. Supporters of the measure say women who view ultrasound images are less likely to have abortions. "There was a concern voiced by some that a woman did not have enough contemplative time following an ultrasound to actually consider what the ultrasound shows and the information that it gives," Sen. Mike Fair (R) said.

According to News Channel 7, state Planned Parenthood officials applauded the compromise. Lindsay Siler -- director of public policy for Planned Parenthood Healthy Systems in Raleigh, N.C. -- said, "We are in favor of women receiving all of the information they need to make private health care decisions" (Kittle, News Channel 7, 4/17).

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