One of the state senators stated that this “(bill)was insensitive because of male domination”, but as a woman, I think girls/women who are seeking an abortion should see who they are “eliminating by choice” since they have been told that it is a “bag of issue and cells.”  It really has nothing to do with male domination & everything to do with full disclosure.  Abortion clinics do not want to disclose this kind of information since it would most likely change the minds of those seeking an abortion when there is an alternative to abortion in adoption to those who cannot conceive.

While I agree that if a woman was raped or a victim of incest, the bill may be less than sensitive, there should be some provisions for those circumstances, however those should be verifiable.  As a woman, I think girls/women who are seeking an abortion should see who they are eliminating by “choice” since they have been told that it is a “bag of tissue and cells.” It really has nothing to do with male domination & everything to do with full disclosure. Abortion clinics do not want to disclose this kind of information since it would most likely change the minds of those seeking an abortion when there is an alternative to abortion in adoption to those who cannot conceive.  Girls/women should be able to see the baby inside who can feel the effects of the abortion

Any time you’re having a surgical procedure, you want to know everything about what’s going to be done.  Why would you NOT want to know everything about a procedure known as abortion?  I don’t understand what all the fuss is about.  This is certainly more important than having your appendix out!

Are you kidding me?!?
I speak for myself, a rape survivor, and I for one would be more tramatized if i actually had to see what my rapist had done to me.
It is cruel to make a rape or incest victim HAVE to see an ultrasound of the fetus.
To anyone that would think that would be a good idea has lost their mind.
Why would the WOMAN that wants to have an abortion want to see what they are trying to get rid of?
Why put those women in a postion to be FORCED to go through MORE trama?

No I don’t think a woman should have to view an ultrasound before having an abortion.  I think abortion is a matter of choice, so why shouldn’t a woman be able to choose whether or not to see the ultrasound. 
The ability to decide to have an abortion is law.  I sincerely doubt that women ever make this decision lightly.  I don’t believe that seeing an ultrasound will change many decisions on whether to have the procedure. The only thing this ruling would accomplish is to further traumatize the women in question.

i do not believe the government can force an individual to see something against their will.  the opportunity to see the ultrasound should be available (“would you like to see the ultrasound before the procedure?”) but forcing someone to see something is against our rights.  remove the sensitivity of abortion and put in its place something like a tumor…you CAN see it but you don’t HAVE to see it.  maybe a movie with truthful but potentially uncomfortable or upsetting scenes…you don’t HAVE to see it; you make the choice as a free individual.

This is an outrage.  How dare they do this to women who have made the most important decision of there life!!!!

To Jes: Don’t you think a living being is a little different than a tumor?  I can’t believe anybody would compare the two.  Very bad analogy.

Why wouldn’t anybody want to be completely informed before having any procedure done?  It’s a medical normality.  A surgeon isn’t even allowed to do surgery on me until I’ve been given all the information.  This is just common sense to me. Why not meet in the middle?  Maybe the women shouldn’t be forced to see an ultrasound, but the doctor performing the abortion is forced to give her the option.  If women were given all the facts upfront this wouldn’t be an issue.  But what abortion clinic is going to actually give a woman all of the information about what it is she’s really about to do?  Don’t you think women deserve that?

The blatant disregard for life has existed in our world since the beginning of time.  You had the Holocaust, slavery, and now abortion. It’s no wonder people don’t care about and respect each other in this world.  Human life just isn’t held up as sacred and precious anymore.

What most caught my attention in this whole discussion was Kim’s remark that there should be “provisions” for victims of rape and incest, but that it would have to be “verifiable.”  How in the (expletive) do you “verify” that you were actually raped at the point when you would be seeking an abortion?  Would you like the rapist to come along and sign a statement?  After all, it is his child.  What if the incident were never reported to the police?  Are you telling me that you would presume to tell ANYBODY who says they were impregnated in a rape that they are lying about it?  It’s bad enough that the victim is put on trial in order to prosecute the offenders, but to put them on trial because they can’t bring the child into the world?  I know rape victims who had the baby.  I know rape victims who aborted the baby.  I know one rape victim who had a miscarriage.  I thought God was being kind to the mother and the child because they never would have to have the conversation about explaining who the father was.  I am pro-life, but I know that I can never live in another person’s skin, and there are decisions that are too personal and painful for me to make for another person.

Luckily, I have never had to make the decision on whether to terminate a pregnancy.  I consider myself pro-choice, but I don’t know that I would ever personally be able to have one (which is the beauty of choice). I cannot fathom what women and girls in that situation must go through BEFORE ever going to the clinic to have an abortion.  I don’t have any problem with the doctor asking the woman/girl if she wants to see an ultrasound picture, but it goes a bit too far to require it.  As a rape survivor, I also agree it would be even more traumatizing to a rape/incest victim already dealing with a horrible situation.

I thought there was a drug called the morning after pill for rape victims. I think women should have to look at an ultrasound before having an abortion. I agree that women should have a choice but I also know there are millions of people who cannot have children and would take those unwanted babies. I also know people who have had multiple abortions. That is just not right they should use birth control!

I can’t agree with Kim’s post of March 21 that says abortion clinics wouldn�t want the woman to see the ultrasound because she might change her mind about the abortion.  Abortion clinics are not in the business of pressuring women to have abortions � they provide a service for those who choose to do so, and fortunately, at least for now, women legally have that choice.  I can agree with President Clinton�s statement that abortion should be safe, legal and rare.  But the current climate has made it harder, rather than easier, to avoid unwanted pregnancies: access to the morning after pill has been restricted; teaching abstinence only in sex education is ignoring the real world of sexual activity.  And if a woman chooses to have the child and keep it, which I believe is happening more often than putting the child up for adoption, where does she get the financial support and services that a single mother needs?  Certainly not from diminished social programs.  By the way, is the SC State Legislature going to fund the mandatory ultrasound?  States are generally outraged about unfunded mandates that the federal government imposes on them.  Is our state legislature then going to do the same thing to some of our most vulnerable citizens?

Are you kidding me?  When I tell my friends in other states about this bill, they are astounded at how backwards it is.  It is embarassing.

If you want to talk about disregard for human life, look to your president, George Bush, who is killing them by the hundreds.

It is amazing to me what a load the general public has been led to believe on rape!! Many times, a woman/girl finds that she is regnant after an “indiscretion” & cries rape whether or not it is reported (i.e. DUKE ring a bell???)so I don’t necssarily buy the rape card for pregnancy too often since pregnancy from rape is less than one percent, but it can & does happen.  But regardless of how a pregnancy happens, the child cannot help nor is responsible for how he or she came to be & therefore should not be “eliminated” because of it.  I cannot agree with the comment that having “the talk with the child about his/her father, the rapist” would be difficult since there is an alternative of giving the child up for adoption & the mom doesn’t have to tell the child anything nor does the adoptive family.  There are SO MANY parents who cannot conceive & would give ANYTHING to have a precious baby - no matter the situation of their conception.  Furthermore, abstinence education has been proven to work well especially with younger (i.e. 5th to 8th graders) with follow up in high school therefore social programs aren’t needed since pregnancy is not an issue.  I’m not foolish enough to think that abstinence is 100% but it is certainly higher than giving condoms out to students which have been proven not to work. It is ironic that those who are pro-choice are already born & were not been aborted.  The one girl who was aborted but survived is pro-life at any cost.

i don’t think that a woman should have to view an ultrasound before an abortion because this is a personal decision. It is already hard enough dealing with an unplanned pregnancy , and on top of that people making laws for you that should really be between that person and god.

Unbelievable! These people are chickening their way out!  If you are going to commit murder, WHICH IS WHAT ABORTION IS, whether you want to admit it or not, that is unless you have been brain washed to think otherwise,then you should very well be able to look at your unborn child and tell them you are about to kill them.I mean wouldn’t you tell your child if he or she was standing face to face with you? Its the same thing.  As far as being a rape victim or incest…I am a victim of rape and you better believe I know that my unborn child was at NO fault for what happened to me. I recieve the help I need and deal with my problem. An aborded baby is NEVER given that choice to say,” Hey, I don’t care if you were raped, I want to live and see what life is about,” if they are aborded. Babies in a mothers’ womb or outside their mothers’ womb need dependancy.  If you cannot give them a life to make their own choices and way of life, then the least you can do is have the baby and give the baby up for adoption.  There are SO many families that could take care of that child and give them what they need and DESERVE with life.I feel that having an abortion is nothing but pure selfishness!

Things happen in life that cannot be controlled and it is very sad when things like rape or incest happen.  NO ONE deserves to be in that situation, but horrible things like that do happen. When life comes at you hard, you deal with the problem by working through it, not destroying it.  Come on people, I am not saying that being a victim of rape or incest, or anything that extreme is not painful and hard to get through, but why destroy an innocent life?  Why not give a new life a chance?  With all of the help and guidance out there for women who are in these horrible and very tough situations, why not take on this help and at least have this child?  It is only 9 months of your life.  For 9 months all a woman has to do, is recieve help and guidance and try to focus on this beautiful life that is about to enter into this world. Sure, it won’t be an easy road and it will not be easy probably for the rest of your life. But isn’t giving an un born child a chance at life more improtant? I cannot understand why its not in the eyes of a pro choice activist.  I find myself agreeing with the comment that abortion is selfish! Very selfish. Remember the un born child doesn’t know what the mother is or was going through! Having the baby is a positve way of life if you let it be. Women do need to see what they are destroying.Pregnancy is not a bad thing.  Why is it looked at so negatively?  I think abortion should be looked at negatively. If it were up to me, abortion would be illegal. What if the mother’s aborded baby was placed into her arms after the procedure took place? Would that wake these pro choice activist up and see what they are destroying? Sounds pretty cruel, Huh? But whats the difference? If someone murdered your mother or someone you loved, wouldn’t you want that murderer to see and face what they did?  Abortion is murder and it makes me sick to my stomach that women can get away with this and that they have somehow been taught that it is okay to commit this crime and get away with it.  It is not the child’s fault! People who are raped or a victim of incest seem to be continuosly talking about how difficult the situatuion would be for them, but what about your child?  They aren’t even given the choice. How would you feel if you found out your mother wanted to end your life?  How thankful are you that she did not? How sad… Prochoice believers were given a chance at life and are here because of their mothers, however they choose to destroy their own childs life???? This isn’t about what the law says or forces us to do.  Its about a life of a human being.  No one wishes anything bad on anyone,but God gave women a job in life to carry a baby and introduce them into a new world whether they want it or not. As women we should stand strong and supprotive of every new child that was planned or unplanned to enter this world.

First of all, I’m pro-life.  I couldn’t bring myself to abort a child regardless of the circumstances.  Now, let me tell you a little more about me.  I have a 12 year-old son and we are very close as I am raising him alone.  If I were pregnant from being raped, what would I tell him?  Would I lie and say there was some mystery man he didn’t know anything about?  Or, would I tell him I was raped and leave him murderously angry?  Raping a woman who is already a mother stands to destroy the lives of the children she already has, as well as her own.  O.K.- Let’s say I’m raped and pregnant and having the baby and I tell my son I was raped and we’re both in counseling to figure out what to do with our lives.  Let’s look at the choices surrounding the birth of the baby.  Adoption is certainly a loving choice and one I strongly advocate, but you still have a mother who now lives without a child she carried and a child who loses a sibling he watched Mom carry.  What if I decided to keep the baby?  Now, we have a child who was desparately wanted and a child who was the result of an assault.  No matter how much the entire family loves and supports each, in the back of the minds of both of these children will always be the difference in how they came into the world.  One child will struggle with inferiority and the other will struggle with wanting to blame an innocent sibling every time things get hard.  What if I were married?  How is a man going to feel about watching his wife carry the child of the man who raped her?  What is that going to do to their marriage?  Do you think he won’t have any issues with anger?  Or do you think that only young, childless, single women are raped?  My point was that, in circumstances of rape or incest, the victims ARE NOT just feeling sorry for themselves and they aren’t being selfish.  No choice they make is going to feel like the RIGHT choice for a very long time.  In light of that fact, I think it would be judgemental and cruel for me to start making life-altering decisions for those people, as at the end of the day, I don’t have to live with the consequences of the decisions.  I believe that what I said originally was that I thought it as a kindness on God’s part to remove at least one rape victim from the reality of facing those circumstances.  If she had a miscarriage without ever knowing she was pregnant until it happened, and she did, then how can you say that God absolutely wanted that child born?  She didn’t take that life.  God did.  I think that sometimes we can be very cruel and harsh with people who don’t see the world the same way we do.  As I said at the start of this, I would never have an abortion, but there are several of you who I would never ask for help, either, because I think you’re being self-righteous and judgemental, and I AGREE with you on abortion.  I don’t care if you’re so holy you glow in the dark, you STILL can’t live in another person’s skin, and when you start judging the way they handle what is probably the most painful, difficult situation of their lives, that’s what you’re trying to do.

The bigger issue is why are we having abortions?

For the record I think the fetus should be viewed one last time before the abortion takes place. I know it’s a tough decision for all parties involved, but it is not a reversible one. Ths is your last chance to change your mind before the procedure removes what would be a child.

Just some stats:
In the United States, 1 million teenagers become pregnant each year.
A young woman who is sexually active for one year and is not using birth control has a 90% chance of getting pregnant.
The majority of teens who are sexually active do not want to become pregnant.
Eighty five percent of teenage pregnancies are unplanned.

Besides making the woman and man, if there, view the ultrasound. We need to focus more on preventing pregnancy than what to due when a woman becomes pregnant. One millin teens get pregnant, 85% are unwanted. That equates to 850,000 unplanned pregnancies a year. WOW!!! That is a huge problem. And those stats are only for teenagers!

Contraception, and abstinence need to be taught to our children, both boys and girls. We as parents need to make sure our children do not become another statistic.

I totally agree with MacMan.  We need to be much more honest about the fact that sex happens and teach our children that we’d prefer they wait, but we don’t want them to face the most painful question of their lives (to that point) if they don’t.  As parents, we know ALL the ways pregnancy is prevented, but we tend to only want to tell our children about the one we want them to use.  (Abstinence.)  Most of them have disobeyed us before and will disobey us again.  Do we really want the stakes to be that high?