Abortion in the US state of Oklahoma just became even more traumatic with new legislation passed that requires women “to listen to the foetus and view the ultrasound image prior to terminating their pregnancy” Doctors can also now withhold information about foetal defects, to prevent parents from opting for abortion. Wait, is is 2010? I forget.
Women who are victims of rape or incest are not exempt from this ultrasound legislation and since most women seeking abortion are in the very early stage of pregnancy, vaginal ultrasounds will mostly be used to get the best picture of the foetus.
Pro life groups who support these tough laws now want the same to be encouraged in Australia.
According to News Ltd reports:
Under the new laws, pregnant women will be required to listen to the foetus and view the ultrasound image prior to terminating their pregnancy.” Politicians in the US state of Oklahoma overnight voted to pass two abortion Bills that will force women to undergo invasive ultrasounds and allow doctors to withhold test results showing foetal defects.Vice President of Right to Life Australia Margaret Tighe said the new laws were “terrific news” and should be adopted locally. “I can only compliment (Oklahoma’s politicians) in what they have done and can only wish that we could have such success here,” she said.
But Pro Choice NSW spokesperson Jane Caro said the new laws would strip women of basic human rights and advised women in Oklahoma to “keep their legs together”. “The new laws are outrageous on every level and destroy the human rights of the women in that state. They no longer have equal human rights”, she said.
I happened to be sitting next to Jane Caro who is quoted in this article at a Business Chicks lunch last Friday. We talked about it at length and were in complete agreement that this kind of law is a shocker.
What do you think? A reminder of commenting rules which you can see below. If you are feeling particularly passionate about this subject or about a comment left by someone else, please read them before posting your own.
I understand this is an emotional issue for many people but attacks on people or ideologies will be deleted.
Keep it nice peeps.
[Thank you Madeleine]
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Top Comments
OMG! I can't believe that with all the worlds real problems at the moment, the pro-lifer brigade are wasting time and resources to spread their hateful word. Abortion is something which should be a safely available option for all women. Perhaps if the pro-life supporters put more energy into providing support to the thousands of children who are abandoned, abused or neglected our world may be a better place. The whole debate around women having to face the consequences of their choices is ridiculous as the loser in most cases is the child who was not wanted.
well I know it's not going to win me any friends here but personally I believe pre-abortion ultrasounds is a good idea -in theory-. While sadly the laws have being put in place to bully women the fact remains if a woman chooses to have an abortion than she needs to know the facts and see the stage of her foetus before acting. It just part of informed consent. while we all feel pity for hypothetical victim of rape the vast majority of abortions are done by women who either don't feel that they are ready for children or who already have kids and don't want any more. It's naive and condensing to act like every women in the family planing clinic is some emotional wreck who will top themselves out of guilt the moment that they see a sonar image.
To hide medical information is just plain wrong in my opinion, anyone who does that should lose their medical licence.