Blog: The Heartbeat Informed Consent Act: Giving Women a Real Choice

Statement

Since abortion clinics were legalized in 1973, millions of women have received abortions. Yet, tragically, they have not been receiving the whole truth before undergoing a procedure that will forever change two lives, an abortion. According to a 2009 survey of National Abortion Federation members, 91% of abortion clinics use ultrasound technology to confirm pregnancies. Unfortunately, the women receiving an abortion rarely see the ultrasound of their unborn child.

It is painfully obvious why abortion clinics choose not to show ultrasound images they perform to their patients. The abortionists that purport choice for all women continue to deny them the ultrasound information they would need to make a truly informed choice. These black and white images are powerful confirmations that each of these women is carrying a life inside of them and not just a blob of tissue. Whether it is the sight and sound of the beating heart of the six-week-old unborn child or the image of the tiny fingernails of the 11-week-old baby in utero, the ultrasound film of any child is not only a fascinating and awe-inspiring celebration of life, but it is also a powerful antidote to abortion. According to a study by Focus on the Family, 78% of women who are undecided about whether or not to abort, choose life after seeing an ultrasound image of their baby.

In a shocking study published in the scientific journal Traumatology, 85% of women who underwent abortions claim they had inadequate pre-abortion counseling and have since had to deal with an increased risk for relational and psychological problems. This hypocrisy must end. Every woman should be allowed all the information needed to make the right decision for herself and her unborn child.

This is why I sponsored the "Heartbeat Informed Consent Act." This legislation ensures that every woman seeking an abortion receives an ultrasound. Abortion providers will be required to display the image of the unborn child and describe the images and cardiac activity. If the gestational age of the baby is eight weeks or older, the heartbeat must be made audible to the mother through the use of a hand-held Doppler device.

With the passage of this bill, women will be empowered by receiving "the whole truth and nothing but the truth" about their pregnancy. For the first time since 1973, women will have the means to make a real choice.

Source