For immediate release:
May 23, 2007
For more information:
Derrick Jones, (202) 626-8825
mediarelations@nrlc.org
NATIONAL ULTRASOUND TREND GROWS
Georgia becomes the 10th state to provide for
ultrasound
Earlier
today, Georgia governor Sonny Perdue signed the Full Disclosure
Ultrasound Act which provides that a woman seeking an abortion
be given the opportunity to see an ultrasound of her unborn
child before having the abortion. The law, which goes into
effect on July 1, 2007, makes Georgia the tenth state to enact
such legislation.
“This truly represents a
trend among the states to provide a woman with all possible
information before she makes a decision that will greatly affect
her life and take the life of her unborn child,”
said Mary Spaulding Balch, J.D., National Right to Life State
Legislative Director. “Abortion is a
decision that cannot be undone and women deserve all the facts.”
The full text of the Georgia
legislation is available at:
www.legis.state.ga.us/legis/2007_08/fulltext/hb147.htm
There are currently nine
other states which make provisions for an abortionist to offer a
woman the opportunity to view an ultrasound image of her unborn
child. Mississippi and Idaho both enacted similar laws earlier
this legislative session. The other seven states are Alabama,
Arkansas, Indiana, Michigan, Oklahoma, Utah and Wisconsin.
Additionally, Louisiana
requires that, for abortions at twenty or more weeks gestation,
an ultrasound be performed and that the woman be offered the
opportunity to view the image.
“Ultrasound is the window
to the womb and allows women to see their unborn child,”
added Balch. “We
urge other states to join this trend and protect women and their
unborn children.
The National Right to
Life Committee is the nation’s largest pro-life group with
affiliates in all 50 states and over 3,000 local chapters
nationwide. National Right to Life works through legislation
and education to protect those threatened by abortion,
infanticide, euthanasia and assisted suicide.
