Indiana Governor Signs Bill Requiring Doctors To Offer Ultrasound to Women Seeking Abortion

Main Category: Abortion
Article Date: 22 Apr 2005 - 9:00 PDT

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Indiana Governor Mitch Daniels (R) on Tuesday signed into law a bill... (SB 76) that will require state abortion providers to tell any woman seeking abortion that she has the option of viewing an ultrasound of her fetus and hearing her fetus's heartbeat before undergoing the procedure, the AP/TheIndyChannel.com reports (AP/TheIndyChannel.com, 4/20). Under current law, abortion providers must tell women about the risks associated with both abortion and pregnancy and give women the option of viewing an image of a fetus and learning about a fetus's potential survival at various gestational ages. State Sen. Michael Young (R), who sponsored the measure, said that the legislation is necessary because some women have told him they "didn't know this technology was available or doctors said it wasn't needed" (Kaiser Daily Reproductive Health Report, 2/28). Daniels, speaking at the Vanderburgh County Right to Life spring banquet in Evansville, Ind., said the law will allow a woman seeking an abortion "to see and hear the beating heart of the baby she's carrying." He added that "making abortion more rare" is a goal of his administration. Planned Parenthood of Indiana in a statement said the law is "one more of [the] government's continued intrusions into doctor-patient relationships." According to the statement, all nine abortion providers in the state already conduct ultrasounds before performing abortion procedures (Rohrig, Evansville Courier & Press, 4/20). "All along, the authors of the bill have said this is not about politics," Michael McKillip, PPI director of legislative affairs, said, adding, "If this is truly to inform, I would wonder why the governor is going to Evansville, where there are no abortion providers" (AP/TheIndyChannel.com, 4/20).

"Reprinted with permission from kaisernetwork.org kaisernetwork.org. You can view the entire Kaiser Daily Reproductive Health Report, search the archives, or sign up for email delivery at www.kaisernetwork.org/dailyreports/repro The Kaiser Daily Reproductive Health Report is published for kaisernetwork.org, a free service of The Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation . © 2005 Advisory Board Company and Kaiser Family Foundation. All rights reserved.

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