Thursday, March 1, 2012

AL SB12 mandating ultrasounds is unconstitutional

Finally, I can agree with something Josh Moon has said in his (Sunday 2/26 Montgomery Advertiser  newspaper ) column.  I applaud him for his sensitivity and old school journalism of social responsibility instead of the vicious but cavalier usual tone of his columns.  I appreciate that he let everyone know that the Alabama legislation (SB12) to mandate ultrasounds for women who legally choose to terminate their pregnancies HAS NO EXCEPTION FOR RAPE VICTIMS whether it’s incestual, acquaintance or stranger rape.

Moreover, this procedure is not medically necessary and is instead merely a political tactic to undermine women's reproductive options and a blatant attempt to legislate morality and emotionally damage women.  It seeks to make ultrasound (transvaginal or abdominal) a requirement and requires the practitioner to share the images with the woman receiving abortion services, even if the abortion is necessary to remove a miscarried fetus or ectopic pregnancy.  Required transvaginal ultrasound amounts to mandatory rape or re-rape of a woman.

In the U.S., we are given the right to refuse certain medical services and this legislation attempts to violate and remove those rights because of the moral objections of others who are not receiving the service. This legislation is unconstitutional and therefore violates the Fourth Amendment. Are AL legislators AGAIN forgetting that AL is still part of the U. S. of A.?

That's why I signed a petition to The Alabama State Senate that demands they withdraw SB12 from legislative debate, consideration, and vote.  Should physicians not comply with this legislation, they could be charged with a Class C felony and/or fined up to $15,000.

If other reasonable, responsible, compassionate Alabamians want to sign this petition they can find it at:


Submitted to the Montgomery Advertiser letters to ed 3/1/12