WASHINGTON -- Today West Virginia Governor Joe Manchin (D) signed the Ultrasound Option Bill (SB 597) into law in a signing ceremony in Charleston. The bill passed both the West Virginia House of Delegates and Senate by overwhelming margins earlier this spring. West Virginia becomes the 20th state to enact some form of provision giving women the opportunity to view an ultrasound before an abortion.
"Abortion is one of the most common, yet under regulated procedures performed in the United States," said National Right to Life Director of State Legislation Mary Spaulding Balch, J.D. "Accurate information empowers us to make informed decisions. We would never expect a person to undergo any procedure without having all possible information at their disposal before consenting. Abortion is no different. Women deserve to have all of the facts at their disposal before making the life and death decision that will affect themselves and their unborn children."
The state's Women's Right to Know Law provides women and girls seek an abortion, 24 hours prior to the procedure, scientifically accurate information about fetal development, abortion alternatives and potential risks of the abortion procedure. The Ultrasound Option Bill adds information to those materials provided informing women that if an ultrasound is conducted with the abortion, she may view or decline to view the real-time ultrasound image.
The full text of the Ultrasound Option Bill is available online here:
"Common sense laws which further regulate the abortion industry, like West Virginia's Ultrasound Option Bill, enjoy the support of a large number of Americans. We will continue to work with other states to pass laws which protect mothers and their unborn children," Balch added.
The National Right to Life Committee is the nation’s largest pro-life group with affiliates in all 50 states and over 3,000 local chapters nationwide. National Right to Life works through legislation and education to protect those threatened by abortion, infanticide, euthanasia and assisted suicide.
Derrick Jones, mediarelations@nrlc.org
