W.Va. AG, 17-State Coalition Defend Right to Require Ultrasound Before Abortion

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 Friday, August 31, 2018 - 05:45 Updated 5 years ago From a News Release by WV Attorney General Patrick Morrisey
CHARLESTON — West Virginia Attorney General Patrick Morrisey and a coalition of 17 states joined a brief supporting a law that requires abortion providers to offer an ultrasound image of the unborn child to women seeking abortions.

 
The brief, filed Thursday, supports the right of individual states to require abortion clinics provide patients with accurate information prior to undergoing an abortion procedure.
 
“I respect and defend life at all stages and will continue to fight for the lives of the unborn,” Attorney General Morrisey said. “The image of an unborn child inside of its mother’s body no doubt qualifies as pertinent medical information relevant to the ultimate decision whether to undergo an elective abortion.”
 
The brief urges the full, 7th U.S. Court of Appeals to affirm an Indiana law that requires abortion clinics to provide patients with an ultrasound scan 18 hours prior to any abortion procedure.
 
The coalition argues that giving an ultrasound image to those who are seeking an abortion falls in line with informed consent laws already enforced by Indiana and other states. Such laws provide women with accurate information that is relevant to their decision to undergo an abortion and allows some period of reflection to ensure their decision is informed and deliberate.
 
The brief contends an earlier opinion by the court’s three-judge panel directly conflicts with prior rulings, including those of the U.S. Supreme Court.
 
West Virginia joined the Louisiana-led brief with Alabama, Arkansas, Idaho, Kansas, Kentucky, Michigan, Mississippi, Missouri, Nebraska, Ohio, Oklahoma, South Carolina, South Dakota, Texas and Utah.
 
Read a copy of the brief at http://bit.ly/2Pi5G6D.