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Last year abortion proponents attempted to make ultrasound legislation radioactive by portraying the method used for early pregnancies, transvaginal ultrasound, as “rape.”

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Vaginal probes,” as the other side menacingly tagged them, are “a very invasive procedure,” according to NBC’s David Gregory.

Never mind that Planned Parenthood usually requires a mother to get an ultrasound before her abortion – which may be transvaginal, as you can see in PP’s screen shot above. And in a survey of its members in 2003, the National Abortion Federation found 83% always performed vaginal ultrasounds before early abortions. Only 1% never did…

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And never mind that the abortion itself is much more invasive. If a mother can’t endure a transvaginal ultrasound, what does that say about her ability to endure abortion instruments and suction equipment?

Ultrasound legislation comes in various forms, but the goal is to give abortion-minded mothers the opportunity to see the baby they are about to abort in hopes of changing minds. It’s all about informed consent. We know some mothers wish they’d been given that option.

Abortion proponents first tried the “vaginal probe” tactic last spring in Virginia and partially won. No state aside from Oklahoma had ever even specifically mentioned transvaginal ultrasounds in their legislation, but the other side was able to get Governor Bob McDonnell to cave and mandate “transabdominal” ultrasounds only. After McDonnell’s blink, it looked like legislators in other states considering ultrasound bills might get wobbly as well.

Pro-aborts had the wind in their sails at the time. This was right after their victory against Komen and at the beginning of their “war on women” offense….

 

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Would it hold?

I asked Mailee Smith, Staff Counsel for Americans United for Life, to look back at ultrasound legislation introduced in recent years. She reported:

2010: 16 states considered ultrasound provisions
2011: 18 states considered ultrasound provisions
2012: 18 states considered ultrasound provisions

To date this year 13 states have introduced ultrasound legislation.

As Mailee pointed out, the lower number doesn’t necessarily mean pro-life legislators have grown skittish. It is still early in the year. Plus, the pool of states in play has grown smaller. To date, 23 states have enacted ultrasound legislation, (see pages 85-86), and a 24th’s is in litigation. So the low hanging fruit of life-friendly states is depleting.

And in Virginia? Per Mailee, five bills have been introduced there to either water down or completely repeal its new ultrasound requirement, and all five bills have already failed.

Reprinted with permission from JillStanek.com