Image courtesy of Star-Telegram
In what is widely being seen as a victory for reproductive rights (not to mention rational thought), Idaho politicians have backed off of a forced ultrasound bill. The bill has not been officially killed yet, but this is a positive sign.
The bill, which was proposed by state Senator Chuck Winder, mandated that women must have an ultrasound prior to receiving an abortion. The legislation also stipulated that a doctor or clinic employee must perform the ultrasound, although part of the bill also mandated that a list of places where the ultrasound could be performed for free be made accessible to women. Neither Winder nor the bill’s supporters seemed concerned that the most common kind of places to performs free ultrasounds are crisis pregnancy clinics, which are not exactly known for giving women accurate, unbiased medical information. And of course, if a woman did decide to get an ultrasound at a free clinic, then the exam wouldn’t have been performed by the doctor or abortion clinic staff, as is also required in the bill, so she’d have to get yet another ultrasound done, and be charged for it.
