One of Gov. Rick Perry’s designated “emergency” pieces of legislation cleared an early hurdle on Wednesday when the Senate State Affairs Committee voted in favor of a bill that would require a physician to perform a sonogram on a pregnant woman at least 24 hours before performing an abortion.
The bill passed on a 7-2 vote, with Sen. Rodney Ellis, D-Houston, and Leticia Van de Putte, D-San Antonio, dissenting. It is likely to be heard by the full Senate as early as next week.
And barring anything unusual, it will be passed. I had wondered if there were enough Democratic votes to prevent it from coming to the floor, but with Sens. Lucio and Zaffirini in favor of it, the answer is no. I don’t see anything stopping it.
In its original form, doctors would be required to perform a sonogram, explain the procedure as it is performed and require a woman see the image and hear the heartbeat of the fetus. That version contained language that allowed a woman to “avert her eyes” if she chose.
A committee substitute introduced Wednesday would not compel the doctor to perform the sonogram or detect a heartbeat if a woman’s pregnancy was the result of sexual assault or incest or if the fetus has an “irreversible medical condition or abnormality.”
In any circumstance, the doctor and the woman cannot be prosecuted for the woman’s decision not to see the sonogram or hear the heartbeat.
“This is an issue about empowering women,” said [bill sponsor Sen. Dan] Patrick, an outspoken abortion opponent. “What this bill does is remove the barrier that is placed in front of women now from getting information they’re entitled to.”
No, it’s about shaming them, which Patrick hopes will lead to fewer abortions. If he could have passed a bill requiring women seeking abortions to write 100 times on a blackboard “I am a bad person and I should be ashamed of myself”, he’d do it. This was the next best thing. Patrick and his ilk think these women are ignorant victims who are being duped by unscrupulous doctors. This is why anti-abortion legislation never holds the women responsible for getting an abortion they’re trying to make illegal even though they say it’s murder. In the case of this bill, the only penalty provided is that the doctor could be subject to losing his or her license if they fail to show the sonogram. Shouldn’t “empowerment” imply some kind of responsibility? It would if that’s what this were really about, but it’s not.
I’ve no doubt that Sen. Patrick is sincere in his desire to reduce the number of abortions in Texas. It may surprise him to know that I share that goal. It’s just that I would go about it by trying to reduce the number of unintended and unwanted pregnancies. That means a greater investment in making contraception more accessible and affordable, better and more comprehensive sex education, ensuring prenatal care is more available and affordable, and ensuring the social safety net is strong, since people do take financial factors into account when they consider their options. (It’s expensive to be pregnant, birth a child, and rear it, in case you hadn’t heard.) That would require spending some money, which outside of making other people spend theirs on unnecessary sonograms, the Senator is not inclined to do. It’s true that my method would not eliminate the need for abortions. But then, neither will Sen. Patrick’s. Even if he someday succeeds in his goal of outlawing them completely, women will still get them, one way or another, just as they did before Roe v. Wade. At least my way would have the ancillary benefit of improving women’s health overall. Other than maybe sonogram machine manufacturers, I don’t know who will benefit from SB16. Katherine Hanschen has more.
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