Georgia House Passes Ultrasound Bill

Monday the Georgia House of Representatives approved a bill, which would require doctors to offer women seeking abortion care the option to view an ultrasound image of the fetus prior to the procedure. The measure would also require women to certify in writing that they were given the opportunity to view the ultrasound image, and document whether they opted to do so. During debate in the House, legislators discussed even more intrusive measures, including mandating an ultrasound for all women or requiring a woman to have 15 minutes of reflection time before an abortion. While Georgia lawmakers were able to compromise on the language, this measure still interferes with the doctor-patient relationship. The bill heads to the Senate where a more restrictive ultrasound measure was passed last year.