Update on South Carolina

I have covered the earlier sequence of events here.

In South Carolina their was a move to force women that seek an abortion to take and look at ultrasounds.

Feministing:

A legislative panel on Thursday dropped a measure from an abortion bill that would have made South Carolina the only state to require women to review an ultrasound images of the fetus before terminating a pregnancy.

This is a relief.

But one commenter had this added information.

Actually, the amendment states that if an ultrasound is not required, "the physician must inform the woman in person that ultrasound imaging services are available" and at the woman's request, the health professional must perform the abortion or provide a "list of health care providers, facilities, and clinics that perform ultrasounds free of charge."

Planned Parenthood cannot provide free ultrasounds, at least not here. While the amendment is great that it will not require a woman to view the images, it does send them to the crisis pregnancy centers who do offer free ultrasounds. While getting that free ultrasound, they will become traumatized by their reactions and lies told to them.

Please note, this is only done on the Senate bill 84, not on the House bill 3355. There is another part of the same amendment on S.84 that states the above would be void if they decide to require the viewing while consolidating the bills together.

Our Attorney General, Henry McMasters came to the first subcommittee meeting and said it was constitutional to force a woman to view the images, cause "she could close her eyes." Candy Kern-Fuller, a State NOW member and attorney, pointed out that the case law he cited was incorrect and had nothing to do with the bill. Less than a week later,he issued a letter to the subcommittee saying that it was "illegal and improper" to force a woman to view the image. Magically, it was unconstitutional.

Then again, look at the tactics of the anti-abortionists - http://www.thestate.com/169/story/30161.html - (Sorry, I don't really know how to link it to the text, I should work on that.) Anyway, the few liberals in the state are still trying to end this. But then again, when Rep. Cobb-Hunter was trying to get a vote on an amendment to the House bill for rape and incest victims, the conservative fundamentalists were on the sidelines screaming about how God doesn't make mistakes.

So, thank you for posting about this bill. The more coverage it gets, hopefully, the less likely it is to pass.

So it is a better bill. But it is also a bad one. Damn.