To: The Pennsylvania State House, The Pennsylvania State Senate, and Governor Tom Wolf
Trust Women - Oppose House Bill 1077
I am stunned and disappointed that the Pennsylvania state legislature is considering a bill that implies women are not smart enough to make decisions about their own bodies - under the guise of helping them.
Requiring women to have unnecessary medical procedures helps them how, exactly?
If you really believe that women have the "right to know", at least have the courage to be honest about the real motivation behind this offensive bill. Don't pretend you are doing women a favor. Such disingenuousness reflects poorly on you, both personally and as elected representatives of our great state of Pennsylvania.
Why is this important?
House Bill 1077, which was reported out of the House Health Committee and is ready for a vote by the full House, would mandate all women seeking an abortion in Pennsylvania to have an ultrasound whether or not it is medically necessary at least 24 hours prior to having the abortion.
The sonogram mandated by this bill would require a trans-vaginal ultrasound for most abortion patients, an invasive procedure that carries its own medical risks.
This bill is opposed by the Pennsylvania Medical Society and the Pennsylvania Chapter of the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists because physicians understand that this requirement is meant only to discourage women from seeking the medically safe legal abortion to which the U.S. Constitution entitles them.