Republicans in the Assembly passed three abortion-related bills Thursday, including one requiring ultrasounds for women seeking abortions.
The bill that earlier this week provoked shouting in the Senate stirred emotional stories from many women serving the state Assembly, particularly from Democrats. Republicans said they were pushing the requirement because they wanted women seeking abortions to think about what they were doing. Rep.Joan Ballweg, R-Markesan, said she hoped it would change their minds.
“What we’re talking about here is to take a look, ask folks to realize that this is life. This isn’t a skin tag that we want to get rid of; this isn’t an appendix that is rupturing. This is a situation that is life.”
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Rep. Sondy Pope, D-Cross Plains, called the bill disgusting. Her hands shook and her voice wavered as she recalled being told by a doctor that one of her own pregnancies would end in a miscarriage unless she chose to abort it.
“And had at the time he said ‘Oh, and by the way, we want to do an ultrasound so you can know what this child looks like. Get familiar with this kid that that you’re not going to have…I’m appalled, just appalled, that you feel your morals-whatever your church dictates to you-has got to play out in my life.”
Pope said there were some choices that did not belong to the legislature.
The mandatory ultrasound bill is now headed to Governor Scott Walker’s desk where Walker has said he will sign it. Assembly Republicans also passed a bill banning health insurance coverage of abortions for state workers and another letting people sue doctors if they think they’ve performed “sex selective” abortions.
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