Kansas Bill Would Require Providers To Offer Ultrasounds, Fetal Heart Monitoring Before Abortions

Main Category: Abortion
Also Included In: MRI / PET / Ultrasound
Article Date: 29 Jan 2009 - 6:00 PDT

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A bill (HB 2076) introduced in the Kansas Legislature on Monday would require that physicians offer a woman seeking an abortion a chance to view an ultrasound, receive a copy of the ultrasound image and listen to audio of a fetal heart monitor 30 minutes prior to the procedure, the AP/Kansan reports. Rep. Lance Kinzer (R), sponsor of the bill and chair of the state House Judiciary Committee, said that the measure is a "sincere attempt by those of us on the pro-life side to find an area where we can have some consensus." According to the AP/Kansan, the bill also would require that women receive a list of clinics offering free sonograms 24 hours prior to undergoing an abortion. The physician also must provide the woman with contact information about no-cost prenatal hospice services, counseling and assistance for medically challenging pregnancies. In addition, the bill would require the posting of "anti-coercion" signs at abortion clinics. Kinzer said that "[e]very woman submitting to an abortion should only do so after giving her voluntary and well-informed consent."

Peter Brownlie, president of Planned Parenthood of Kansas and Mid-Missouri, said the organization already provides women with the information included in the bill. He added the bill is "basically trying to use ultrasounds as a political tool rather than a medical procedure." Brownlie said that the requirement of posting a sign is "unnecessary and intrusive" and "based on a made-up theory that lots of women are coerced into having abortions." The AP/Kansan reports that Gov. Kathleen Sebelius (D), an abortion-rights supporter, last year vetoed a "wide-ranging" abortion bill that included many of the same provisions as Kinzer's proposal. Kinzer said that the governor did not single out any of his proposals in her veto message (Manning, AP/Kansan, 1/27).

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