There is a plethora of legislation out there right now that would make it more difficult for women to get abortions, or even a prescription for birth control. So many, in fact, that we didn't get the chance to talk about all of them on last night's show.
The New Hampshire House of Representatives, this week, passed an abortion bill that would require a 24-hour waiting period before a woman gets an abortion. It would also require doctors to warn patients that having an abortion puts them at an increased risk for breast cancer. But the truth is there is no connection between having an abortion and breast cancer. The American Cancer Society says, "At this time, the scientific evidence does not support the notion that abortion of any kind raises the risk of breast cancer or any other type of cancer."
Meanwhile, in Pennsylvania, lawmakers are working on the Women’s Right to Know Act that would require a woman who wants an abortion to have an ultrasound 24-hours before the procedure. But it doesn't stop there. The doctor would have to ensure that the woman can see the screen, describe the fetal heartbeat, and approximate the fetus' gestational age. The woman would then leave with two copies of the ultrasound. Pennsylvania Governor Tom Corbett, who supports the bill, was asked during a press conference on Wednesday whether forcing the woman to watch the ultrasound went too far. His response: "You just have to close your eyes."
The Pennsylvania bill doesn’t specify the kind of ultrasound the doctor would have to use, so it is possible that in some cases a woman would have to undergo a trans-vaginal ultrasound — a procedure that even Virginia's Republican Governor Bob McDonnell called "invasive" and had nixed from his state's ultrasound bill.
According to a new Quinnipiac poll, the majority of Pennsylvania voters — 64 percent — oppose trans-vaginal ultrasounds. While 47 percent oppose ultrasound legislation in general, surprisingly, more men than women are against it. And 51 percent of men oppose it, while women are split 45-45.
In case you missed it, check out last night's segment about women fighting back where we interviewed Democratic Senator Jeanne Shaheen on the Violence Against Women Act and Ohio state senator, Nina Turner, who came up with a creative way to combat legislation in her state.