Pre-Abortion Sonogram Law Challenged in Federal Court

The Center for Reproductive Rights just filed a lawsuit in federal court in Austin on behalf of abortion providers, challenging the legality of the recently passed oppressive Sonogram Law. It will be remembered that the Sonogram Law requires all women seeking an abortion in Texas must undergo a sonogram 24 hours before her scheduled abortion (or 2 hours before the abortion if she lives 100 or more miles away from the abortion service provider).

I have been expecting this but I was surprised at their angle of attack, something that I doubt the lawyers and other non-medical people in the Legislature probably didn’t think about.

You see, I would have gone at this law head-on. It is oppressive, invasive and an unwarranted intrusion on the privacy of a human being. It is Big Government writ large fueled by evangelical religious fervor.

It is so obvious.

But no, they don’t attack it that way. Remember the lawsuit was filed on behalf of abortion service providers: medical doctors and medical clinics. Here is their angle of attack.

From the Austin American-Statesman:

“The Act profoundly intrudes on the practice of medicine, forces physicians to deliver ideological speech to patients, and treats women as less than fully competent adults,” the lawsuit says.”

“Under the law, signed May 19 by Gov. Rick Perry, a woman cannot decline to hear the sonogram description, though she may opt out of viewing sonogram images or hearing the fetal heartbeat.”

“‘The Act will force physicians to violate basic standards of medical ethics by compelling them to disregard the wishes of patients who do not want to receive this information,’ the lawsuit said.”

Brilliant.