LANSING — All women seeking abortions would be required to submit to ultrasound procedures under legislation being taken up this week in the state Senate.
The bill, pushed by abortion opponents, is the latest test of lawmakers’ personal beliefs on the sensitive issue. It passed the House on a 69-37 vote last week.
Ultrasound would become an additional mandate in Michigan’s informed consent law, which requires women considering abortions to receive medically accurate information before ending their pregnancies. A diagnostic technique, ultrasound produces a fuzzy, TV-like image of the fetus inside the mother’s womb.
Doctors and nurses would have to offer abortion seekers the opportunity to view these images. The expectant mothers, however, would not be required to look at them.
Gov. Jennifer Granholm, whose signature would be required to make the bill law, doesn’t support it as passed by the House.
"It places government in the middle of people’s most personal and intimate medical decisions, a highly inappropriate place for politicians to be," said the governor’s spokeswoman, Liz Boyd. [Source][Via Chateau du Meau]
Well we can’t have people seeing the reality of what they intend to do in an intimate medical decisions can we? A tissue mass can’t be allowed to have identifiable human features. The rhetoric must never be allowed to be balanced by reality. Though even in unlikely event that (Culture of Death Catholic) Gov Granholm signed the bill you can bill you know a judge would rule it unconstitutional faster than you can say "undue burden". Though of course it would be a good idea to send some prayers her way.
7 comments
Oh Granholm, not only are you content to be one of the worst governors in the nation, you continually set yourself at odds with the majority of the Michigan populace.
It is so frustrating- I go to school (Michigan State) 12 miles east of the capital building- to watch Gov Granholm sit pretty and secure in her “personally opposed but unwilling to impose” attitude. Bring on the election! Lets see how well your implicit culture of death attitude bears against a culture of life politician (oh I pray that such an oxyomoron might exist!)
‘”It places government in the middle of people’s most personal and intimate medical decisions, a highly inappropriate place for politicians to be,” said the governor’s spokeswoman, Liz Boyd.’
Well, once we’re allowed to use the word “medical” to describe a procedure whereby one person’s will brings about another’s execution, it’s hard to conduct a reasoned debate. I sometimes feel like making personal and intimate decisions to bring all manner of perplexities upon people who vex me, and when all else fails, my certainty that the government would regard my personal and intimate decision as worthy of arrest reminds me to keep a lid on it.
Michigan has enough pro-life legislators to make this pass? That’s great.
I think this is the kind of law that will really have a practical effect in reducing the number of abortions. Of course, we still need laws that respect the dignity of unborn life, but this is an important step on the way there. I can’t wait till those 3-D ultrasound imagers get mass produced.
“Requiring an ultrasound in all cases would drive up medical care costs, creating hardship for low-income women…”
I really don’t like it how the other side always turns this into a class warfare issue.
As I have said before. Make all abortions and procedures in it’s aid FREE. That’s right free. I can tell you all that with in a months time there would be no one performing abortions anywhere. No money, no Doctors, and no big bucks for those who live off of the slaughtering of innocent babies. So as long as there is money to be made, the world will make excuses and reasons to have this procedure, I mean murder.
So, why not have a good look at the little one before it’s ripped from the world? Maybe someone will think twice before they abort their child, and just maybe if they see their baby waiting quietly for a hug from mommmy, it will end up a full term baby. One with a chance at life.
“…image of the the fetus inside the mother’s womb.”
Well, I’ll be a mother of a fetus.
Unintended consequences: prolife ultrasound techs being put in the position of having to decide to perform an ultrasound for a woman seeking an abortion – if they do it they could be offering material cooperation in an abortion; if they don’t they risk termination themselves.
I just hope this passes into law. Unless someone were to challenge it to US Supreme Court, it would probably fly through our state’s higher court.