Ultrasound: latest tool in battle over abortion
Images of fetuses are at the center of a hot debate over states' 'witness to the womb' laws.
from the May 15, 2007 edition
Page 3 of 3
Humanity of a fetus vs. women's rights?
Ultrasound laws are among the most hotly debated issues of the year. At the hearing in Columbia before a standing-room-only crowd, young and zealous abortion opponents who declared the humanity of the fetus took on lawyers, doctors, and a contingent of mostly older women who argued such laws are a political concoction that have "profound implications" for women's rights.
Women who know firsthand how they were affected by seeing an ultrasound agree it's a crucial time in the abortion debate. But like Staley and Burgess, they see the ultrasound laws through the lens of their own views on the morality of abortion.
For Staley, who chose to proceed with an abortion, laws that foist upon women the viewing of ultrasounds is a way to keep "the last bastion of control that society has over women."
For Burgess, who became a pro-life activist after giving birth, ultrasounds are part of a "revolution" in reproductive health that can have a positive impact on women. "[Ultrasounds] are a way of giving equal rights to women in the form of information they should know," she says. "I could no longer say, 'This is not a child and it's not happening.' "
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