Federal Court UPHOLDS Kentucky Law Forcing Abortionists to Offer Women Ultrasounds: "Historic Day!"

Calvin Freiburger : Apr 8, 2019
LifeSiteNews.com

"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. That this information might persuade a woman to change her mind does not render it suspect under the First Amendment. It just means that it is pertinent to her decision-making." – Jude John Bush

(Louisville, KY) — [Lifesitenews.com] Pro-lifers in Kentucky won a victory Thursday when a three-judge panel of the Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals upheld the state's law requiring abortionists to give women the opportunity to view ultrasound images of their children before abortion. (Photo Credit: Public Domain Pictures)

"Today is a historic day, as Kentucky continues to lead the charge in implementing strong pro-life protections for its citizens," Kentucky's Republican Gov. Matt Bevin responded to the ruling. "We applaud the decision by the Sixth Circuit, which affirms the commonsense notion that patients should be well equipped with relevant information before making important medical decisions. I am grateful to be governor of a state that values every human life, and we are committed to continue our fight on behalf of the most vulnerable among us."

Enacted in 2017, Kentucky's Ultrasound Informed Consent Act requires abortionists to perform ultrasounds prior to committing abortions, display and explain the images, play the audio of any fetal heartbeat, and offer women the opportunity to view the images. It does not force women to view them.

The left-wing American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) sued the state on behalf of Louisville abortion facility EMW Women's Surgical Center, and later that year U.S. District Court Judge David Hale blocked the law from being enforced. Now a 2-1 ruling from the Sixth Circuit has reversed that injunction, Courthouse News reports.

"Are the mandated disclosures truthful and not misleading? Yes—no one argues that the heartbeat, sonogram, or its description is false or misleading," Judge John Bush, who was appointed by President Donald Trump, wrote in his majority opinion. "That leaves the final question: Are the mandated disclosures relevant to the patient's decision whether to abort unborn life? The Supreme Court's abortion precedent answers this question for us."

Click here to continue reading.