Supporters Want Ultrasound Option Before Abortion on KFYR-TV North Dakota's NBC News Leader

Supporters Want Ultrasound Option Before Abortion |

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Amanda Tetlak

1/20/2009

Having an abortion is perhaps one of the most difficult decisions a woman can make, and supporters of a new bill say they want to try and cut down on the number of abortions that happen in North Dakota.

The bill would require abortion facilities to offer a woman who wants to have an abortion the opportunity to see the fetus beforehand.

Supporters say if women were offered the opportunity to see an ultrasound of their baby before having an abortion, it may change their minds. And that`s exactly what they want to happen.

"If even a few people take up the offer to have an ultrasound and they change their mind, this a good thing," says Rep. Bette Grand (R), of Fargo.

The bill introduced by Grande would require abortion facilities to offer a woman the opportunity to receive and view an active ultrasound of her fetus at least 24 hours before the abortion is scheduled. While Grande says she`d like to see the number of abortions go down with this legislation, other supporters say the bill serves a greater purpose.

"We`re not talking about pressuring them one way or another, we`re just talking about giving information," says Patty Armstrong, who supports the bill.

Red River Women`s Clinic in Fargo is the only abortion facility in the state, and says it has been offering ultrasounds to its patients for the past seven months. A spokesperson says since then a little less than 50-percent of patients opt to see the ultrasound and fewer than one-percent change their minds.

"We think it`s just another burden that they`re trying to place on women seeking abortion services," says spokeswoman Tammy Kromenaker. "It`s making a presumption that women aren`t very informed about their bodies in which I think when a woman`s told she`s pregnant, I`m pretty sure she knows what that means."

The clinic says the bill would be unnecessary since it`s a service already being offered in the only abortion facility in the state. Supporters say then it should be an easy bill to enforce.

The Red River Women`s Clinic says the reason it already offers women the chance to see an ultrasound is in fact to make sure they`re informed of all their options.

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