The Supreme Court refused to hear an appeal by the ACLU concerning a Kentucky abortion law on Monday that requires all women seeking to have an abortion to undergo an ultrasound and listen to the sound of the fetal heartbeat.
The state of Kentucky argued that the law was “simple and straightforward”. The state said it is part of the informed consent process, adding that it “does nothing more than require that women who are considering an abortion be provided with information that is truthful, non-misleading and relevant to their decision of whether to have an abortion.”, according to Lex18.com.
Governor Matt Bevin (R), who lost his bid for reelection last month tweeted, about the SCOTUS decision on Monday, which allows HB2 to take effect in the state of Kentucky.
Proud of this administration's unwavering commitment to protecting the sanctity of life, and grateful that today's #SCOTUS ruling has allowed HB 2 to take effect in Kentucky > > > https://t.co/y6ihVuBhq3 #ProLife #WeAreKY pic.twitter.com/41XTVTXXqs
— Governor Matt Bevin (2015-2019) (@GovMattBevin) December 9, 2019
“Kentucky has become a national leader in implementing strong pro-life protections,” said Gov. Bevin. “We applaud today’s Supreme Court decision, which gives final affirmation to the commonsense notion that patients should be well equipped with relevant information before making important medical decisions. I am grateful to be governor of a state that values every human life, and I’m proud of our Administration’s unwavering commitment to fight on behalf of the most vulnerable among us.”, he said in an official statement on Monday.
The ACLU argued that the Kentucky Law is interference of the state into the doctor-patient relationship and a violation of the First Amendment.
“By refusing to review the Sixth Circuit’s ruling, the Supreme Court has rubber-stamped extreme political interference in the doctor-patient relationship.” “This law is not only unconstitutional, but as leading medical experts and ethicists explained, deeply unethical. We are extremely disappointed that the Supreme Court will allow this blatant violation of the First Amendment and fundamental medical ethics to stand”, said Senior Staff Attorney for the ACLU Reproductive Freedom Project, Alexa Kolbi-Molinas in a statement.
It seems rather strange that the abortion debate is focused on the ethics of an ultrasound.
Image: Flickr