Kentucky State Senate Approves Ultrasound Bill Helping Women Avoid Abortions
by Steven Ertelt
LifeNews.com Editor
March 3, 2009
Frankfort, KY (LifeNews.com) — For the second year in a row, the Kentucky state Senate has approved a bill that would allow women a chance to see an ultrasound of their unborn baby prior to an abortion. When used in pregnancy centers ultrasounds persuade as many as 80 percent of women to not have an abortion.
The Senate signed off on the bill on a 33-4 vote, and the measure requires abortion practitioners to show women an ultrasound if they want to see one.
Sen. Kathy Stein, a Lexington Democrat, joined three Louisville Democrats, Denise Harper Angel, Gerald Neal and Tim Shaughnessy, as the only members of the chamber to oppose the bill.
Senate Bill 79 now heads to the state House and last year, the bill died in the Judiciary Committee, which Stein chaired.
House Speaker Greg Stumbo, according to the Herald Leader newspaper, says he plans to assign the bill to the House Health and Welfare Committee, which pro-abortion Rep. Tom Burch chairs.
There is no word yet on whether he will allow the bill to have a hearing and vote but Stumbo told the Louisville newspaper he hopes the bill will get heard.
Stumbo said he’s "committed on all the bills to send them to the committee of jurisdiction, to ask the chairmen to have a hearing and to be fair on the disposition of the bills."
"If it does go there, it is our intention to ask Chairman Burch to hear that bill," Stumbo said. "I think it’s not fair for committee chairmen to preannounce the demise of any legislation."
Burch has said he thinks a hearing may be held on April 15.
During the Senate debate, Sen. Elizabeth Tori, a Republican who sponsored the bill, said it would help women.
"This is a life or death decision for her," Tori said, according to the paper.
Sixteen states have enacted abortion-ultrasound laws that enhance the opportunity for women seeking an abortion to see an ultrasound image of their baby.
Related web sites:
Kentucky House – https://www.lrc.ky.gov/house/hsemembers.htm
Kentucky Right to Life – https://www.krla.org
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