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AJC.com > Legislature > Blog > Archives > 2007 > March > 19 > Entry
DEL.ICIO.USHouse OKs plan on ultrasound for women seeking abortion
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
A woman seeking an abortion in Georgia would be offered the chance to view an ultrasound image of her fetus under a bill passed by the state House today.
The chamber approved House Bill 147 by a vote of 116 to 54 after a lengthy debate by lawmakers.
“If all of us — no matter where we’re at — if we hate to see an abortion take place no matter what, why not support a bill that gives a woman all the facts before she makes such a critical decision?” said state Rep. James Mills (R-Gainesville), the bill’s sponsor.
Lawmakers have changed the bill’s language significantly since Mills introduced the measure. Initially, the bill would have required doctors to perform an ultrasound and then offer a woman the chance to see the images. The ultrasound is no longer mandatory under the bill.
At another point, lawmakers included language that would have required a woman to have 15 minutes of reflection time prior to an abortion. That language was removed.
State Rep. Stephanie Stuckey Benfield (D-Atlanta) thanked Mills for working with lawmakers on the bill’s language but spoke against the measure, arguing that it interferes with the doctor-patient relationship. She said her main concern is that the bill may be confusing to women.
“I don’t think this bill prevents unintended pregnancies,” Benfield said. “In my opinion this is not going to have a big impact. Let’s work on making birth control less expensive and more widely available. Let’s fully fund family planning clinics in Georgia.”
Georgia Right to Life has lobbied in favor of the bill since last year, while abortion-rights groups such as Planned Parent of Georgia have opposed the measure and argued for lawmakers to support comprehensive sex education and family planning services as a more effective way of preventing abortions.
A similar proposal sponsored by Sen. Nancy Schaefer (R-Turnerville) is in the Senate Rules Committee. Senate Bill 66 also may come to the floor for a vote soon. The Senate last year approved a more restrictive ultrasound measure that would have required women to have a sonogram prior to an abortion.
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