St. Rep. Corte wants to force pregnant women to watch and hear

[Ilsa]

ultrasounds of fetus before having abortion.

http://www.kvue.com/news/top/stories/021709kvue-Abortion-Ultrasound-eh.29fb5e5f.html

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State representative Frank Corte from San Antonio has proposed a bill that would require a doctor to perform an ultrasound at least two hours before a woman has an abortion. The bill reads that the image must be shown to the pregnant woman, and if a heartbeat if present, it must be made audible for the woman to hear.

Despite how the bill currently reads, Corte told KENS 5 he doesn't want it to be mandatory that a woman has an ultrasound. He just wants it mandatory that a doctor offers an ultrasound.

But, because of how the bill currently reads, Planned Parenthood strongly opposes it. The vice-president of community affairs Yvonne Jutirrez said, "Forcing a woman to view an image or listen to a heartbeat is none other than an opportunity to shame or hurt a woman who has already made a personal and difficult decision." Currently, Planned Parenthood does require a doctor to perform an ultrasound before an abortion to determine how far along the woman is. It does not require the woman to view the image. Jutirrez says about one-third of women choose to view the image. She's unclear how many, if any, were deterred from having an abortion afterward.

A bill similar to this passed the Senate in 2007, but it stalled in the House. Just a few weeks ago, Governor Rick Perry urged lawmakers to adopt this bill in this session. Currently, it is in committee.

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