Despite their insistence that they hate big government, the state’s Republican legislators are the ones to blame for passing what may be the single most invasive law in the state’s history — the Woman’s Right to Know Act. Thankfully, a temporary but nonetheless crucial step was taken toward repealing it on Tuesday, when a U.S. District Court judge blocked the law’s primary stipulation on First Amendment grounds. The injunction is only the first step in the long but necessary process of repealing this law.
The law states that any woman seeking an abortion for any reason must have an ultrasound at least four hours before the abortion. It mandated that doctors present ultrasound images, and then explain, the stages of the fetus’ growth while pointing out the developing body parts on the screen.
The aim, of course, is to coerce an impulsive, last-minute decision against an abortion. By forcing physicians to become mouthpieces for their ideology, many of our lawmakers sought a quasi-scientific, pseudo-legitimate means of manipulating women into surrendering one of their most fundamental rights.
Despite its insidious name, the Woman’s Right to Know Act has nothing to do with protecting rights. It adds little in terms of information for women already struggling with their decision, and the stipulated 24-hour waiting period is a barrier for women without ready access to medical care. In a state already requiring an ultrasound to determine the age of the fetus, the additional ultrasound would be a purely punitive — not to mention costly — measure meant to guilt women.
The Woman’s Right to Know Act is a transparently partisan attempt by legislators to insert their morality into what should be a private patient-doctor conversation. Legislators’ attempt to deny this reveals not only their disregard for women’s privacy but also their dishonesty as politicians.
