We are urgently seeking 500 new Life Defenders (monthly supporters) before the end of October to help save babies from abortion 365 days a year. Your first gift as a Life Defender today will be DOUBLED. Click here to make your monthly commitment.
A federal appeals court said Friday that it refuses to reconsider its ruling upholding a Kentucky law which requires women who receive an abortion to first have an ultrasound. A doctor must then describe the ultrasound and offer audio of the preborn child’s heartbeat before committing the abortion. While these things must be offered, the woman can look away or request to have the audio turned down.
The law, H.B. 2 or the Ultrasound Informed Consent Act, passed in January 2017 and was immediately challenged by the ACLU who called it “political interference.” A lower court initially overturned the law, with U.S. District Court Judge David J. Hale ruling that the law interfered with a physician’s right of free speech.
The state appealed the court ruling, and in April, a Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that the law could stand. In his ruling, U.S. Circuit Judge John K. Bush dismissed the idea that the Kentucky law violated any free speech rights.
“With this background in mind, we hold that H.B. 2 provides relevant information. The information conveyed by an ultrasound image, its description, and the audible beating fetal heart gives a patient greater knowledge of the unborn life inside her. This also inherently provides the patient with more knowledge about the effect of an abortion procedure: it shows her what, or whom, she is consenting to terminate,” he wrote. “That this information might persuade a woman to change her mind does not render it suspect under the First Amendment.”
Dear Reader,
Every day in America, more than 2,800 preborn babies lose their lives to abortion.
That number should break our hearts and move us to action.
Ending this tragedy requires daily commitment from people like you who refuse to stay silent.
Millions read Live Action News each month — imagine the impact if each of us took a stand for life 365 days a year.
Right now, we’re urgently seeking 500 new Life Defenders (monthly donors) to join us before the end of October. And thanks to a generous $250,000 matching grant, your first monthly gift will be DOUBLED to help save lives and build a culture that protects the preborn.
Will you become one of the 500 today? Click here now to become a Live Action Life Defender and have your first gift doubled.
Together, we can end abortion and create a future where every child is cherished and every mother is supported.
The ACLU attempted to challenge the ruling, but Friday’s decision means the court refuses to reconsider. The only way the pro-abortion group can now have the law overturned would be to bring it before the U.S. Supreme Court.
Following the court’s decision, Governor Matt Bevin took to Facebook to share the good news with his followers. “We’re a pro-life state, and we’re a pro-life administration, and I’m a pro-life governor. And we won. Fortunately for us, this ultrasound bill will stand,” he said in a video. “The people of Kentucky will have their voice heard. Life will be preserved.”
Live Action News is pro-life news and commentary from a pro-life perspective.
Contact editor@liveaction.org for questions, corrections, or if you are seeking permission to reprint any Live Action News content.
Guest Articles: To submit a guest article to Live Action News, email editor@liveaction.org with an attached Word document of 800-1000 words. Please also attach any photos relevant to your submission if applicable. If your submission is accepted for publication, you will be notified within three weeks. Guest articles are not compensated (see our Open License Agreement). Thank you for your interest in Live Action News!
Issues
