Yesterday the Iowa Legislature passed language similar to HF 573, a mandatory pre-abortion ultrasound bill, that passed the Iowa House in March. The language included in the Heath & Human Services Appropriations Bill – SF 505 passed the Iowa Senate, 33 to 17, and the Iowa House on a 52 to 41 vote with seven abstaining.
The bill goes to Governor Terry Branstad’s desk, and if signed into law it would require a physician to certify a woman’s medical record prior to having an abortion to ensure a woman has had ultrasound imaging taken of the unborn child, and was given the opportunity to view the ultrasound and hear a description of the ultrasound.
“While Democrat lawmakers this year refused to budge on the funding of the abortion industry in Iowa, we were pleased to see them relent on this life-saving ultrasound language. Each woman seeking an abortion will be offered the opportunity to view her baby’s image on the ultrasound. She will also be ‘provided information regarding the options relative to a pregnancy, including continuing the pregnancy to term and retaining parental rights following the child’s birth, continuing the pregnancy to term and placing the child for adoption, and terminating the pregnancy,'” Jenifer Bowen, executive director of Iowa Right to Life, said in a released statement.
Statistics show abortion-vulnerable women (and men), when given the opportunity to view her ultrasound image, choose life, reducing abortions by 70% to 90%.
“Those in the pro-choice camp will likely continue to rail against these ‘demeaning, traumatizing, unnecessary trans-vaginal ultrasounds.’ However, one of the most confounding things is their inability to understand or admit that prior to every abortion, women are already receiving these ultrasounds, oftentimes, by non-medical staff,” Bowen added.
