by Mailee Smith
June 23, 2010
http://www.lifenews.com/nat6456.html
LifeNews.com Note: Mailee Smith is an attorney for Americans United for Life, a pro-life legal group that focuses on national and state legislative matters. This opinion column is a response to Stopping Abortion: A Different Take on Legislation Promoting Ultrasounds, written by pro-life NIFLA attorney Tom Glessner.
State ultrasound laws are critical tools in ensuring that women are protected from the harms inherent in abortion. Additionally, research and real-life experience have shown that a woman who undergoes and views an ultrasound before an abortion is less likely to follow through with the abortion.
In recent years, pro-life advocates have enjoyed tremendous success at the state level in facilitating and encouraging the adoption of ultrasound requirements. Nineteen states have already enacted ultrasound requirements, and nearly a dozen states have considered ultrasound-related measures in 2010.