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Stop HB 1077 - Women's Right to Know Act 
LCDC Opposes HB 1077 – The Women’s Right to Know Act

The proposed Women’s Right to Know Act currently in committee in the PA House of Representatives would mandate that women seeking abortion services be required to undergo an unnecessary procedure 24 hours prior to receiving an abortion. That procedure mandates that the woman must be in a room where she may observe a ultrasound image and video and listen to the fetal heart beat of the fetus. If the woman refuses to view the ultrasound images or listen to the fetal heart beat, that will be noted by the attending physician and become part of her permanent medical record.

The PA Chapter of the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists – the association representing doctors who care for pregnant women - oppose this bill.

In continuing support of civil and human rights, the Executive Board of the LCDC stands unanimously oppose the egregious intrusion into the personal privacy and confidentiality of medical records guaranteed by the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA).

LCDC Principals state:  “…The Bill of Rights protects us from government intrusion into our personal affairs. Democrats stand firm in defending the right of an individual to be safe from unwanted intrusions in the areas of life, liberty, property, and family. Citizens should be empowered with control over with whom their sensitive, personal information is shared.”

The Executive Board of the Lancaster County Democratic Committee unanimously opposes this legislation. View press release

All seven of the Republican legislators that serve Lancaster County have sponsored HB 1077. We are amazed that the men who so rigorous oppose government intrusion in the lives of men would so blatantly violate the privacy of women.

The LCDC encourages you to contact the Republican legislators (listed to the right) and express your opposition to HB 1077. We encourage you to sign the on-line petitions listed below.

(Note: Rep. Mike Sturla is opposed to the bill. If you live in his district, please call the other representatives.)

Sign these petitions to stop HB 1077:

Keystone Progress

SignOn.org

Resources:

HB 1077

Abortion Bill Stirs Up Tempest: Lawmaker would require women to get an ultrasound 24 hours before having an abortion.

"What others are Saying about HB 1077..."

LCDC Opposes HB 1077 – The Women’s Right to Know Act

All seven of the Republican legislators that serve Lancaster County have sponsored HB 1077. We are amazed that the men who so rigorous oppose government intrusion in the lives of men would so blatantly violate the privacy of women. More...  

View press release...

New Report Finds Overlaps In Language For Mandatory Ultrasound Bills

The Sunlight Foundation has found striking similarities between the mandatory ultrasound bills under consideration in many states (including Pennsylvania) and a piece of model legislation prepared by a group called Americans United for Life.

Daily News Editorial: PA. law ultra unsound

Some of the bill's supporters argue that H.B. 1077 doesn't specifically call for probes into private parts. They apparently don't understand that an external ultrasound in the first 12 weeks of pregnancy (when 88 percent of abortions are performed) can't accurately measure the fetal "gestational age" the legislation requires. That usually takes penetration. Read more...

Unite Against the War on Women

All across the country, through legislative proposals, government regulations, and political rhetoric, war is being waged upon women, their bodies, their private interests, and their right to self-determination. Read more...

Join the March...

Virginia Senate Passes Ultrasound Bill as Other States Take Notice

The revised bill requires women to have an ultrasound before getting an abortion, but says that they cannot be forced to have a vaginal ultrasound.

PA House GOP puts brakes on ultrasound bill

The Republican leader in the Pennsylvania House says he doesn’t plan to schedule a vote on a bill to mandate ultrasounds for women seeking abortions while members address questions that have arisen about it.

Message points:

• The co-sponsorship memo was incredibly deceptive, completely misrepresented the intent or outcome of this now 22 page bill.

• Abortion providers already routinely include ultrasound as an integral part of thorough and standard medical practice in abortion service.

• If the primary sponsor were really concerned about women’s health and the provision of ultrasounds, HB1077 would follow standard medical practice, not mandate that women be forced to look away from the screen and be given print-outs of the ultrasound.

• Abortion providers in Pennsylvania offer the woman the OPTION to view the image, not FORCE her to avert her eyes if she chooses not to see the image. To require women to look away from an ultrasound image – including women who are facing a tragic situation such as a fetal anomaly incompatible with life – is cruel and has NO basis in medicine.

• Forcing women to look away rather than providing them with the opportunity if they chose to view the ultrasound is demeaning and malicious and clearly designed to shame women who choose to receive an abortion.

• As a result of Representative Aument’s amendment, it is now the responsibility of the patient to receive TWO prints of the ultrasound – one for her to keep and one for her to deliver to the physician conducting the abortion. This is contrary to current practice and obviously demonstrates the true intent of the bill – to discourage and make it difficult for women to obtain abortion services.

• Women choose to have an abortion for many reasons including cases where the pregnancy is planned but dangerous to their health or there is a fetal anomaly. It is cruel and inhumane to pressure women who are already devastated about losing their pregnancy to view and accept images of their fetus.

• The definition contained in the bill is extremely narrow and only would cover women who were undergoing an emergency so narrow as to irreversibly damage a major bodily function – it does not cover fetal anomalies.

• We may disagree about abortion, but we should all be able to agree that Pennsylvania should focus its energy on laws that help women: access healthcare, reduce the unintended pregnancy rate, improving maternity care and empower women and their families to make the best healthcare decisions for themselves.

• All Pennsylvanians, including those obtaining legal abortion services, should have the right to refuse any medical test.