Kentucky Votes Forum

Introduced in the Senate on January 8, 2008, to require physicians performing any part of an abortion to first perform an obstetric ultrasound of the fetus and show the ultrasound images to the pregnant woman. The bill allows for an exception in case of emergency but creates fines for non-compliance or falsification of records of up to $100,000 for first offense and up to $250,000 for subsequent offenses

The vote was 32 in favor, 4 opposed and 1 not voting

(Senate Roll Call 0 at Senate Journal 0)

Click here to view bill details.

This bill would require that each person seeking a abortion would have to endure being shown an ultrasound of the fetus. There is no medical reason for this. It is simply to torture the lady and guilt her out of having an abortion. It is also offensive that this bill incorporates its definition for 'intentionally' and 'knowingly' from the Kentucky Penal Code. It tries to send a message to medical providers that they are committing a crime by providing medical services. Vote this bill down, and vote Jack Westwood out of office. We don't need legislators that believe it is acceptable to terrorize our citizens into conforming to his religious beliefs.

There's nothing wrong with people making informed decisions. There is a case to be made that people have the right to be blissfully ignorant. But they also should suffer the consequences of their ignorance, lest others not be discouraged from being ignorant themselves. I think that's the root of the problems with modern society -- rewarding stupidity. But this is slightly off-topic (though, stupidity is most often what leads to unwanted pregnancies). Anyway, I have no problem with people being told all of the ramifications of medical procedures. However, I have a concern about who pays for this extra procedure. Is it the insurance company? Then all others in the insurance plan will pay more to cover these new procedures. Is it the taxpayers? Then again, we all pay for it. Is it the medical office that will perform the abortion? They'll spread the cost out to other patients who aren't having the abortion. If the goal is to gross women out, or to guilt them out of having an abortion (and for the record, there are known long-term psychological ramifications to having an abortion, that no one talks about), then why can't we just show a video? Ultrasounds cost a lot of money. A VHS tape and a VCR and TV are significantly cheaper.

This bill is intended to scare and guilt woman by showing the live photographs of their OWN fetus. The theory is that showing someone a beating heart will guilt them out of the abortion. This has nothing to do with insurance companies. Insurance doesn't cover an abortion which is not medically necessary. Elective abortions are a cash business. This is a religiously motivated bill and is a step backwards for woman's rights.

This is an assault on the American values of liberty and justice for all. The matter of an abortion should be between a woman and her doctor. The state has no business sticking its nose into the private matters of a woman. If this is a procedure a doctor thinks necessary, fine. If not, fine. The state has no business playing doctor. It already has enough trouble upholding the US and Kentucky Constitutions.

Killing babies is wrong. A woman should be able to see the face of what she's about to murder. If it does guilt/scare her out of getting the abortion, good. That's one more life saved. If she goes through with it anyway, then we all know just how cold human beings can be. I hope this happens in every state.

Is the taking of a life a private matter? A fetus is a distinct human being, separate from the mother. Should a woman be able to kill her child in private after he is born? What's the difference? You could use the "privacy" defense to justify any number of heinous acts. There is no right to privacy in the Constitution. It all depends on what you want to do "in private."

how is killing a baby a medical procedure?? This bill is a good start to hopefully ending the murder of innocent children nationwide. I am pro-choice in that I believe the woman has the choice to have sex or not.

Granted, the decision of abortion is between a woman and her physician. However, if I had seen an ultrasound of my unborn child before I elected for an abortion, I can guarantee a different choice would have been made. I have asked myself why did I end a pregnancy? I believe I honestly thought that a fetus was not a baby. That misconception would absolutely never exist if I had seen an ultrasound of the life within me. Abortion should never be taken lightly, it is a decision with consequences that last a life time, not something done today and forgotten tomorrow. A decision that affects so many lives should never be taken lightly or uniformed.

This bill is religiously motivated. Preach whatever you want on Sunday. But it is offense when you legislate your morality on the rest of us.

If it's "a law" that abortion is legal, why is it not a law to "show" and tell what an abortion is. I've had an obortion. I know what it is.I regret it "daily". What's the problem with educating those seeking abortion??

Glenda, The biggest secret about abortion is the long term psychological effect on the woman. No one ever talks about this. One side talks about saving the baby's life. The other side talks about women's rights. But no one talks about the psychological issues. I think if women understood that abortions were very often decisions that they would regret for the rest of their lives, there would be a reduction in the number of abortions just from that. I personally know someone who has had an abortion and suffers psychologically as a result. Meanwhile, also I personally know someone who gave her child up for adoption. She seems to be very much at-peace with her decision to give the child to a loving couple who very desperately wanted a child, and who went through the hell of the adoption system to get one. People make choices that they later regret. The best course of action to deal with those mistakes is to help others (gently, not forcefully) understand why you regret the mistake and help them understand a better option. Real sex education might be of help, too. Tell people the facts, not condemnations or sugar-coated realities.

Yes, women do deserve to have their own rights just like every other American citizen, but what about the rights of the unborn? Abortion is an act of taking someone else's life into your own hands and NO ONE has the right to do that. What happens to the survivors of their mothers abortion? Do they have the right to file attempted murder charges against their mother, the doctor who performed it, and anyone else involved? You cannot justify this inhumane disregard for human life. This is one huge step forward for the morality and humanity of our country.

That' s naive. ALL laws are someone's morality imposed on the social masses.

I have a 14 year-old daughter. Say she gets raped. And because of that heinous act becomes pregnant. Who can judge if she should exercise her RIGHT to an abortion. Does she really need to walk the halls of her middle school for nine months with a constant reminder of an awful event? Why does the state of Kentucky want to inflict any more pain on her than she has already endured? Showing her a picture of the fetus would do what? Is this an extreme cases? Yes, but that is my point exactly. This is not a black and white issue. You have your opinion and I have mine. That is what makes this country great. It is absolutely up to each individual to decide what is the right "choice" for them.