NRL News
202.626.8824
dadandrusk@aol.com

Lessons Learned from the Battle over Virginia’s Ultrasound Law

Feb 29, 2012

By Dave Andrusko

Let me begin with a “thank you” to all those who’ve responded to the many National Right to Life News Today stories on the Virginia ultrasound bill. You were grateful for the clarifications, which were not to be found in the “mainstream media,” and we were very glad to provide  them.

As I write this, the House bill, as amended, has been accepted by the Senate, which, in turn, added another amendment. The revised bill now goes back to the House. Once it agrees, the law goes to Gov. Bob McDonnell.

“Virginia Society for Human Life is grateful that the Senate supported the right of women to have access to this critical and relevant medical information about their own bodies and their unborn children before they make the irreversible decision for an abortion,” says Olivia Gans, President of VSHL.  The bill still requires that women will have  an ultrasound before an abortion, thereby protecting them from unscrupulous abortionists.

Let me make four points that I believe will help you understand some of the ebbs and flows and what we can take away from them.

#1. Truth was the first casualty, and deliberately so. The original bill never required a trans-vaginal ultrasound. Many an editorial writer (and reporters writing editorials, even as they masqueraded as reporters) wrote as if it did–and, worse, that the legislators (and Gov. McDonnell) were trying to “sneak something by” the people of the Commonwealth. In fact at least some veteran pro-abortionists said they did not know that abortionists in Virginia already used trans-vaginal ultrasounds when trying to fix the age of very early babies.

#2. But if almost all abortionists ALREADY are performing trans-vaginal ultrasounds prior to almost all abortions, how could requiring an ultrasound constitute “rape” or other inflammatory appellations? It didn’t, and doesn’t. As amended the bill requires an ultrasound (the other kind is an abdominal ultrasound). Guess what? In the secrecy of their clinics, abortionists will use trans-vaginal ultrasounds.

#3. Ultrasounds are performed in the first place as a precaution to protect women’s health. If somehow the Abortion Lobby were to persuade the Abortion Industry to stop performing ultrasounds, abortionists would be subject to the harshest legal penalties, when something went wrong. But, obviously, this won’t happen. But to leave the impression that this great “wrong” won’t be perpetrated on women is good PR.

#4. The objective was never primarily to trans-vaginal ultrasounds. It was to ANY ultrasound that was required—even though, as mentioned above, ultrasounds are routinely performed. And since—even without a new law—abortionists will perform ultrasounds anyway, the real objective becomes clear: paint reasonable, commonsense legislation as a state-sponsored attack on women!

If, with the help of newspapers and cultural icons such as “Saturday Night Live,” pro-abortionists could scare pro-life legislators half to death, they hoped to be able to thwart ALL pro-life legislation. Two for the price of one: stop pro-life legislation, create an image of a “Big Brother” government running amuck.

Does this discourage you? It ought to annoy you, to be sure, but not discourage you. Always keep the big picture in mind.

NONE of this—as bad as it is, as unfair as it is, as viciously inaccurate as it is—could have come to pass had pro-lifers not elected hundreds of legislators in the 2010 elections.

The wholly-fabricated pro-abortion blitzkrieg was to be expected. What we must do is remain resolute and keep (a) telling the truth and (b) promoting pro-life legislation.

Your feedback is very important to improving National Right to Life News Today. Please send your comments to daveandrusko@gmail.com. If you like, join those who are following me on Twitter at http://twitter.com/daveha

Categories: Legislation