From the Office of House Minority Leader Craig Ford
“As a Christian, I have always been opposed to abortion. I believe we must do everything we can to protect the sanctity of life. But the Republican Vaginal Ultrasound bill is completely overreaching. The Republicans have turned their backs on the principles of small government and written a law that greatly expands the reach of government.
I believe every American should have the right to refuse a medical procedure. But the Republican Vaginal Ultrasound bill forces women to undergo an invasive medical procedure against their will. Not only that, this procedure can cause health problems for the baby and even endanger the baby’s life should the mother change her mind after the procedure and decide not to have the abortion.
The Republican Vaginal Ultrasound bill makes no exceptions for cases where an unborn child dies of natural causes, for women who have had an ectopic pregnancy, when there has been accidental trauma, and even when a woman is the victim of a sexual assault. All this does is prolong a woman’s pain and suffering and, in the event of an ectopic pregnancy, can even put the mother’s life at risk.
The Republican Vaginal Ultrasound bill is also unnecessary. In 2002, the Democrat-led legislature passed the “Women’s Right to Know” Act, which requires physicians to perform a standard, non-invasive ultrasound on a mother before performing an abortion. This law also requires physicians to provide mothers with lists of adoption agencies and alterntives to abortions, as well as notifiying mothers of the health risks of having an abortion. The current law proves we can fight abortion without forcing women to undergo invasive medical procedures against their will.”
For more information, please see the following:
Section 26-23A-4 of the Code of Alabama
SB12 Page 3, Section 1
SB12 Page 6, Section 6A
Representative Ford is a Democrat from Gadsden and the Minority Leader of the State House of Representatives. He has served in the Alabama House of Representatives since 2000. In 2010, Representative Ford was elected House Minority Leader by the House Democratic Caucus.
