Statement of Mary Spaulding Balch, J.D.
State Legislation Director
National Right to Life Committee
National Press Club
January 22, 2009

A window to the womb, - that is what ultrasound technology has given to the world. We can now see the living unborn child in real time, up close and personal. We can see his beating heart, his winning smile and the fact that he is, indeed, a boy!

It also shows us –in a very real way – who may be killed by abortion since there can be no doubt that abortion kills a living human being.

Sixteen states have laws requiring an abortion provider to give a mother an opportunity to view an ultrasound prior to undergoing abortion. This type of legislation is instrumental in ensuring that mothers in crisis pregnancies make truly informed decisions.

This year we expect to see many more states introducing ultrasound bills-some of which will become law this year.

 The United States Supreme Court plurality opinion in Casey stated:

Nor can it be doubted that most women considering an abortion would deem the impact on the fetus relevant, if not dispositive, to the decision. In attempting to ensure that a woman apprehend the full consequences of her decision, the State furthers the legitimate purpose of reducing the risk that a woman may elect an abortion, only to discover later, with devastating psychological consequences, that her decision was not fully informed. If the information the State requires to be made available to the woman is truthful and not misleading, the requirement may be permissible

Of particular importance is pioneering Oklahoma legislation, enacted last year, that is now in litigation. The Oklahoma law goes beyond other states’ laws, by specifically requiring that the ultrasound images be displayed so that the pregnant mother may view them and that she be given a simultaneous explanation of what the ultrasound is depicting.

As our opponents, the Center for Reproductive Rights, admitted in their October 10, 2008 press release announcing their lawsuit against the Oklahoma law, “Nationally, this case has implications because the law at issue is among the first signs that … legislatures are beginning to take cues from [2007’s] U.S. Supreme Court ruling upholding the ‘Partial Birth Abortion Ban Act of 2003.’ Should this law be upheld, it could encourage copycat legislation around the country. In Gonzalez v. Carhart … the majority reasoned”…it seems unexceptional to conclude some women come to regret their choice to abort the infant life they once created and sustained” end quote

Ensuring women can vividly and accurately experience the humanity of that infant life before it is too late can spare them that regret –and spare the children their lives.

Thank you.