All women seeking an abortion would be required to have an ultrasound under a measure vetoed last year but resurrected in a House committee on Tuesday, reports David Royse of the News Service of Florida.
Women seeking an abortion are already required in Florida to have an ultrasound in the second or third trimester but not in the first. The measure (HB 1127) would extend that requirement to the first trimester, and require the woman be given a chance to view the image on the screen and hear a description of what the doctor is seeing.
The House sponsor, Rep. Liz Porter, said most clinics already do first trimester ultrasounds, primarily as a tool to determine the gestational age of the fetus. Porter said typically, those images aren’t shown to the woman, but under the bill the clinic would have to show the woman the image unless she declines.
Porter said the requirement would give women knowledge, not infringe on their rights.
“It provides women with the knowledge, the truth, the facts, of the procedure that they are facing,” said Porter, R-Lake City. “Too much knowledge is never a bad thing.”
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