NPR All Things Considered: GOP Lawmakers Push for Stricter Abortion Laws
By Kathy Lohr
“Across the country, recently elected GOP lawmakers are pushing hard to get new abortion restrictions on the books. About 570 bills have been introduced in 48 states this year to restrict abortion, according to the Guttmacher Institute, which tracks the laws. In Texas, the Legislature passed a bill that requires women to have an ultrasound before an abortion and requires doctors to provide a verbal description of the fetus.”
“Oklahoma passed a similar bill last year, which is being challenged in court. This year, four other states have passed ultrasound laws saying doctors must offer women the opportunity to see the image or hear a description of the fetus. ‘We’re seeing bills coming through that are some of the most extreme we’ve seen in years,’ says Nancy Northup, whose group, the Center for Reproductive Rights, filed suit to keep the Oklahoma ultrasound law from taking effect. ‘It’s blocked until the trial goes forward,’ she says. ‘And we’re seeking to show that that law is unconstitutional. And we’re getting ready to sue in Texas because these laws don’t trust women to make the decision that the United States Supreme Court has said women are allowed to make’.”
Listen to the segment on NPR.org >