West Virginia Gov. Manchin Signs Bill, Women Get Ultrasound Before Abortion
by Steven Ertelt
LifeNews.com Editor
May 17, 2010
Charleston, WV (LifeNews.com) — West Virginia Governor Joe Manchin signed a bill today that allows women to get an opportunity to see an ultrasound before having an abortion. At abortion centers, mothers don’t typically have a chance to see an ultrasound of their unborn child before the abortion is done.
Manchin, a Democrat, signed the Ultrasound Option Bill (SB 597) into law in a signing ceremony in Charleston.
The bill passed both the West Virginia House of Delegates and Senate by overwhelming margins earlier this spring. West Virginia becomes the 20th state to enact some form of provision giving women the opportunity to view an ultrasound before an abortion.
"Abortion is one of the most common, yet under regulated procedures performed in the United States," Mary Spaulding Balch, an attorney who is the director of state legislation for the National Right to Life Committee, told LifeNews.com.
"Accurate information empowers us to make informed decisions. We would never expect a person to undergo any procedure without having all possible information at their disposal before consenting. Abortion is no different. Women deserve to have all of the facts at their disposal before making the life and death decision that will affect themselves and their unborn children," Balch added.
The state’s current Women’s Right to Know Law provides women and girls seeking an abortion, 24 hours prior to the abortion, accurate information about fetal development, abortion alternatives and potential risks of the abortion procedure.
The Ultrasound Option Bill adds information to those materials provided informing women that if an ultrasound is conducted with the abortion, she may view or decline to view the real-time ultrasound image.
"Common sense laws which further regulate the abortion industry, like West Virginia’s Ultrasound Option Bill, enjoy the support of a large number of Americans. We will continue to work with other states to pass laws which protect mothers and their unborn children," Balch added.
ACTION: Thank the governor at https://www.wv.gov
Related web sites:
West Virginians for Life – https://www.wvforlife.org
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