Minnesota Democratic Gov. Mark Dayton vetoed a bill Wednesday that would have provided consenting women seeking abortions with ultrasound pictures.
The bill required that physicians ask women considering abortion whether they would like to see ultrasound images before procedure, KSTP reports (RELATED: Flashback: A Year Before ISIS Somali Stabbing, Minnesota Gov Told Diversity Skeptics To Leave)
Dayton rejected the bill after it was passed by the Minnesota legislature last week with bipartisan support.
Supporters of the bill argue that offering women access to ultrasound pictures before going through with abortion procedures would give women more information about the conditions of their pregnancies before making the life-changing decision to end them. The ultrasounds would be easily accessible in an effort to make the process less stressful.
Opposers of the bill, however, said it was “an attempt to stifle women’s access to abortions and would undermine how doctors interact with their patients. Dayton said he objected to interfering with the doctor-patient relationship.” (RELATED: Toledo’s Only Remaining Abortion Clinic Resumes Operations)
As Americans United for Life, a legal pro-life group that submitted a testimony to the governor in March supporting the bill, explained in a statement, “The bill, on which AUL testified, would have helped to ensure that women are fully informed about their decision to abort, including the risks and long-term consequences.”
But now that the bill has been rejected, the statement continues, “Minnesota women will not be empowered to make a fully-informed decision.”