More than 350 bills have been introduced in state legislatures this year to restrict abortion. At least two dozen new laws have passed. In many states, the fierce debate over abortion now centers directly on the fetus.
Nebraska lawmakers vote April 9 to ban abortion beyond 20 weeks after conception. The law is part of a national trend of state laws restricting abortion.
Eighteen states now have laws requiring either that doctors perform ultrasounds before an abortion, or that women be allowed to see one. Some states want to go even further -- getting doctors to describe the fetus to the mother. But Gloria Nesmith of the Feminist Women's Health Center in Atlanta says doing an ultrasound is already routine.
"Historically, I have always offered the woman the opportunity to see -- it's their process. It's their abortion procedure," Nesmith says.
Seeing the image and hearing the fetal heartbeat rarely make women change their minds, she adds.
"I would say the vast majority of the women, they don't want to see or hear anything," Nesmith says. "Maybe a small percentage of the women want to see -- but they don't want to hear. Way less than 1 percent of the women are actually affected in any way."
Changing The Focus Of The Debate
More than a dozen states passed new laws aimed at limiting abortion this year.
Elizabeth Nash is a public policy associate for the Guttmacher Institute, an abortion rights group that tracks state laws. She says that those who oppose abortion want to reframe the debate.
"What we're seeing now is more of an effort to take the woman out of the considerations of the law and really focus on the fetus," Nash says.
This year, Oklahoma passed what is considered the most far-reaching ultrasound law in the country. It requires doctors to do an ultrasound and provide a detailed description of the fetus -- that includes the dimensions of the embryo and the presence of internal organs.
"It requires that there be a scientifically accurate description of what is being seen, yes," says Mary Spaulding Balch, who works with the National Right to Life Committee.
The Florida Legislature sent a similar bill to Gov. Charlie Crist, who vetoed it. The Midwest, Balch says, has proved the most successful territory for abortion opponents this year.
"I think that the people there see and recognize the life of the unborn child, and think that the state should protect that life," Balch says.
The Guttmacher Institute's Nash argues that the ultrasound laws are invasive and unnecessary.
"Really, this has nothing to do with making sure a woman sees objective and appropriate information, and everything to do with trying to steer her away from abortion," Nash says.
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SOURCE: NPR
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