We encourage all pregnant women who are considering an abortion to have a sonogram. Courageous sonogram decisions would nullify the need for the Texas legislature to mandate pre-abortion sonograms that substitute the state’s will for the woman’s will.
Senate Bill 16, approved by the state Senate on a 21-10 vote, passed on largely partisan lines, with most Republicans voting for the bill and most Democrats dissenting. The bill now moves to the Texas House of Representatives where a Republican super-majority is expected to pass the bill with little difficulty. A majority of Texas lawmakers are hoping that more women will opt not to receive an abortion after they see a sonogram, a goal of the bill. We commend the legislature for their intentions.
The issue lies with the government trying to make medical decisions for its constituents, and unfortunately, Gov. Perry has started a trend of interference into the relationship of girls and their parents and women and their doctors.
We believe the government should remain uninvolved in people’s personal health decisions. Self-regulation has always been the best means for protecting against government involvement in any issue.
Governor Perry issued an executive order in 2007, requiring all sixth-grade girls to be vaccinated for a sexually transmitted disease that can cause cervical cancer. Republican lawmakers viewed the law as an infringement on personal and parental rights. Perry ultimately backed off the provision after backlash from within his own party.
Ironically, Republican lawmakers have shown little resistance to the sonogram law that, at its core, infringes on liberties much like Perry’s executive order.
A moral conflict arises when the views of Americans who oppose abortions clash with what the Supreme Court has previously said. The government should always uphold the law.
A day may come when the Supreme Court overturns Roe v. Wade and then this debate will look completely different.
Until then, all women who are considering an abortion should have a sonogram performed first. But it should be at their own discretion, not the Texas Legislature’s.
