by Meghan Rapp, Sr. Program Manager, State Strategies

The Kentucky State Senate last week passed an ultrasound bill last week that is ridiculous, medically unnecessary, and downright insulting to women. Senate Bill 9 (passed 32-5) would require that a woman seeking an abortion in Kentucky wait 24 hours and also view an ultrasound of the fetus. If a woman chooses to avert her eyes from the ultrasound, a doctor would still have to describe the image to her. 

Restrictions like this aren’t uncommon – in fact, 20 states either require that an ultrasound take place or be offered to a woman prior to the abortion procedure.  What’s uncommon – and especially troubling – in this Kentucky bill is that women are required to view the ultrasound or to have a description given to them.  Not only is it insulting to think that a woman doesn’t understand what the decision she’s just made, but it’s flat-out a medically unnecessary procedure. On top of all this, the bill requires a woman to wait 24 hours after a consult before having an abortion. Insulting- again – as though a woman doesn’t understand what she’s doing an needs the government to force her to think about it. This is devastating, as well, for women who can’t afford to take the time off again to go back to the clinic in 24 hours, can’t afford to hire child care for another day, or don’t have access to reliable transportation.

We’ve mentioned before that the anti-choice movement rolls out extremist anti-abortion legislation in states as testing grounds, then if it passes, models the same bills in other state legislatures.  In Nebraska last year it was a restriction on later term abortion. If this ultrasound bill passes all the way through in Kentucky, the anti-choicers will be pushing this in other states this winter and spring.