House Bill 15: Sonogram Before Abortion

Texas House Bill 15: Sonogram Before Abortion Why do laws get passed? Where did these laws come from? Who decided this was a good idea? These are all questions an everyday citizen might ask. Then again, maybe not. People can go their entire lives and never question, why things are the way they are. However, to answer the previous questions, laws come to pass because someone else wants to protect us from the little, minuet things, we don’t think about. On another note, the bigger issues are always more difficult. Though many are indecisive in their opinions of abortion, it has become one of the most controversial issues of our time. House Bill 15 was introduced to the legislature due to an epidemic of minors receiving abortions without
parental consent, endangering the overall well-being and health of women, illegal waste disposal, and not reporting potential child sex abuse. This bill implicates a woman to make the most educated decision she can. She “will have to wait 24 hours after the sonogram before having an abortion” (Dunham). HB 15 is trying to put more responsibility on women and make them more conscientious of their decisions. The new abortion law amended what is known as the Women’s Right to Know Act. WRKA was passed in 2003 to authorize doctors to inform women the side effects, possible dangers, and other options of an abortion. To amend this bill and help with the crisis at hand, Representative Sid Miller and Senator Dan Patrick presented HB15, also known as the abortion sonogram bill. Many House Democrats did not want this bill to pass. They felt as though the purpose was to guilt women into changing their minds and then would not receive the abortion. However, despite the opposition from the democrats, many republicans supported it. Following behind them, many interest and professional groups showed their support by testifying. The Texas Catholic Conference was one of the biggest supporters. “It is the consistent teaching of the Catholic Church that human life is intrinsically valuable and should be protected from conception to natural death.” Another pro-bill group was The Source for Women. “Cynthia Wenz, chief executive officer [says], “the real fear, the real suffering, the real struggle takes place in the hearts and minds of women considering abortion, particularly those who believe abortion is their only choice” (“LIFE Scene”). In representing themselves, the group claimed more people need to be aware of the current issues.
Many Democrats opposed the house bill, due to the belief that it is violating the first amendment.
Siding with them, the American Civil Liberties Union of Texas agreed that this bill was an invasion and it “intrudes the doctor-patient relationship” (“Liberty Blog”). Many other groups opposed the abortion sonogram bill, but chose not to testify. Attributing to all the disapproval of the bill, “Supporters and proponents of the House & Senate bills say all women considering abortion should be given complete information about the child growing inside them, as well as other medically relevant information prior to choosing to have an abortion. These bills seek to empower and protect women on this issue” (“Texas
Insider”).
Abortion is a topic that many choose not to talk about. With diverse opinions and morals, many try to keep to themselves about this matter. However there were not many individual people who voiced their opinions about the pro-life win. To reiterate, most people voice opinions, when necessary or when it directly affects them. Then, there are always those who speak their mind, only when asked.
Whenever taking a deeper look into the abortion sonogram bill, “allows women to opt out of seeing the image and hearing the heartbeat, and requires that they sign a statement acknowledging” their options. Though they opted out of that, they are still required to listen to the physical description of what is happening to the baby. Like many bills, there are exceptions. If a woman “is pregnant as a result of rape or incest; she is a minor obtaining an abortion under judicial bypass; or the fetus has an irreversible medical condition or abnormality” she may choose not to have a sonogram and refuse the explanation of development of the baby (“Office of Governor Rick Perry”).
With the views of abortion, in Texas so extreme, this bill was tossed back and forth between the democrats and republicans. Unexpectedly, seven democrats voted for the bill. The House of Representatives “spent many hours of debate [featuring] 34 amendments — and a number of amendments to the amendments — most of which were proposed by Democrats and were subsequently tabled along votes that stuck fairly close to party lines” (“Texas Tribune”). One of the less serious amendments “proposed allowing pregnant women to mandate vasectomies by court order.” However, a serious and successful amendment to the bill, Dallas Democratic state Rep. Rafeal Anchia’s gave an account of his wife 's high risk pregnancy as he proposed an exception for women who have irreversible complications” (“Texas Tribune”).
Even more surprising, Sarah Davis, a republican from Houston voted against the bill, declaring, “My vote was not an easy one to make, as I am very sensitive to those who work so valiantly for the sake of preserving life. However, in light of my commitment to work against the expanding role of government and my commitment to protect the doctor-patient relationship from government interference, I simply could not support ‘The Sonogram Bill’” (“Texas Tribune”). Regardless of how she felt, the bill was passed with ease through House and the Senate. As many put it, “this is a great day for Texas. This is a great day for women’s health. This is a great day for the pro-life movement” (“Texas Tribune”).
“Governor Rick Perry has worked diligently to protect unborn life in Texas, having signed both parental notification and parental consent laws to ensure parents are involved in their minor daughters ' major decisions”. He has supported the abortion sonogram bill since it was first initiated. Using it as an emergency topic for the 2011 Legislature, Governor Perry said, “I commend Senator Dan Patrick and Representative Sid Miller for their hard work on this significant legislation.” Rick Perry truly believes that every woman deserves to know the real-life and devastating effects that abortions have on not only the woman, but the other people involved. “The governor also signed a ban ensuring tax dollars are not used to support abortion facilities, and helped implement the strictest third trimester abortion ban in the nation. He also supported and signed the Woman 's Right to Know Act, and has worked with lawmakers to fund and promote alternatives to abortion.” ("Office of Governor Rick Perry")
Often times, abortion is miscategorized; placing it with murder, mistreatment, and dangerous.
But, what people forget is, just because you aborted, it does not always mean those things. At the time, this bill needed to pass to protect the ideas and morals of many people. Some do not agree, and others do; it’s a matter of opinion. In the state of Texas, this bill was going to pass a lot easier than others do. However, House Bill 15 does not immediately pertain to many personal lives, just their opinions and beliefs. Therefore, this will be just another law that someone only thinks about when it’s needed.
Bibliography Page
Dunham, Will. "Texas Sonogram Abortion Law Signed By Rick Perry." Huffington Post. 05 2011: Web. 29 Nov. 2012.
"Gov. Perry: Sonogram Legislation Helps Prevent the Tragedy of Abortion." Office of Governor Rick Perry. 24 2011: n. page. Web. 1 Dec. 2012. .
"Protecting Human Life." Texas Catholic Conference The Public Policy Voice of the Catholic Bishops of Texas. Roman Catholic Bishops of Texas. Web. 1 Dec 2012. .
"Sonogram Bill Passes Texas House, HB15 Sponsored by State Rep. Sid Miller." Texas Insider. 09 2011: n. page. Web. 1 Dec. 2012. .
"Sonogram Law Upheld, Still Much To Do." LIFE Scene. 25 2012: n. page. Web. 1 Dec. 2012.
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"Special Report: Widespread Abortion Abuses in Texas Exposed." Operation Rescue. 01 2011: n. page. Web. 1 Dec. 2012. .
"Texas Abortion Bill Tentatively Passes House-The Sonogram Bill." Texas Tribune. 03 2011: n. page. Web. 1 Dec. 2012. .
"The Good and the Bad from the 82nd Legislature." Liberty Blog. 07 2011: n. page. Web. 1 Dec. 2012. .