Oklahoma
Ultrasound
Law to Remain Under Injunction
Oklahoma District Judge Noma Gurich ruled today that a pro-life
ultrasound law will remain under an injunction keeping it from taking
effect until at least January 21. The order is a continuation of one
issued in May.
The setback is just the latest of many difficulties the law has
encountered.
The law, which passed the Oklahoma legislature in March, would require
abortionists to show to women and describe in detail an ultrasound of
their unborn child within the hour before anesthesia is administered
for the abortion. Such a description must include the dimensions of the
child, whether the child has a heartbeat or not, and what external
members and internal organs the child has.
Democratic Governor Brad Henry vetoed the law, saying that it should
contain an exception for victims of rape and incest and that it was an
unconstitutional intrusion into women's privacy, before the legislature
overrode the veto in April. Governor Henry often clashes horns
with the Oklahoma legislature over pro-life issues: he recently vetoed
measures prohibiting health insurance providers in Oklahoma from
subsidizing elective abortion, and other pro-life measures.
Judge Gurich blocked enforcement of the law, however, after the Center
for Reproductive Rights (CRR) of New York filed a suit against the
state in May. The CRR argues that the statute interferes with the
doctor-patient relationship by compelling doctors to give unwanted
speech and by intruding on the patient’s privacy.
Pretrial hearings for the suit are now scheduled for January 21.
Proponents of the the law say it would prevent abortuaries from lying
to women about developmental facts regarding their unborn child. Such
deception has been documented at multiple Planned Parenthood locations
by the pro-life media group Live Action.
Critics of the law also say it is too invasive because it requires
doctors to use a vaginal rather than abdominal ultrasound when this
would make the image clearer.
Republican state Senator Steve Russell criticized such arguments. "We
speak of invasiveness," Russell said. "[In abortion] an unborn child is
forced to have an instrument forced into its body, killing it."
"We speak of the poor and underprivileged. No one is more vulnerable
than a child in the womb. They have no voice except ours."
Contact: James Tillman
Source: LifeSiteNews.com
Date Published: July 19, 2010
The IFRL is the largest grassroots pro-life organization in
Illinois. A non-profit organization, that serves as the state
coordinating body for local pro-life chapters representing thousands of
Illinois citizens working to restore respect for all human life in our
society. The IFRL is composed of people of different political
persuasions, various faiths and diverse economic, social and ethnic
backgrounds. Since 1973 the Illinois Federation for Right to Life has
been working to end abortion and restore legal protection to those members of the
human family who are threatened by abortion, infanticide and euthanasia. Diverse though we are, we hold one common belief - that
every human being has an inalienable right to life that is precious and must be protected. IFRL is
dedicated to restoring the right to life to the unborn, and protection
for the disabled and the elderly. Click here to learn more about the IFRL.