Kansas GOP Sen. Roger Marshall, a medical doctor, is reportedly set to introduce a bill Thursday that would require abortion providers to perform ultrasounds before proceeding with the abortion.
The Ultrasound Informed Consent Act, the text of which was obtained by National Review, stipulates that “prior to a woman giving informed consent to having any part of an abortion performed, the abortion provider who is to perform the abortion, or an agent under the supervision of the provider, shall perform an obstetric ultrasound on the pregnant woman.”
“As an OBGYN who delivered thousands of babies, I never imagined I would be fighting harder in the Senate than I did in the ER and delivery room to protect mothers and babies,” said Marshall in a press release.
“I’m proud to lead on legislation that strikes at the abortion industry’s efforts to keep the truth from women by requiring mothers to be informed of their baby’s development and hear their heartbeat before consenting to an abortion. As a healthcare provider, it’s the least you can do to protect the safety and well-being of women and their unborn children.”
The measure further requires a provider to explain what is apparent on the ultrasound to the woman.
The bill would not force a woman to look at the ultrasound image. According to the text, “Nothing in this section shall be construed to prevent a pregnant woman from turning her eyes away from the ultrasound images required to be displayed and described to her.”
It also adds that “neither the abortion provider nor the pregnant woman shall be subject to any penalty under this title if the pregnant woman declines to look at the displayed ultrasound images.”
Co-sponsors of the measure include Sens. Marsha Blackburn, Mike Braun, Bill Cassidy, Ted Cruz, Steve Daines, Cindy Hyde-Smith, Jim Inhofe, Cynthia Lummis, Mike Rounds, Rick Scott, and James Lankford.
CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis is poised to sign a bill banning abortions in the state after 15 weeks of pregnancy, restricting the procedure far more than the current limit of 24 weeks. If the bill is signed, it will go into effect in July and provides for “fatal fetal abnormality.”
