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House Committee Holds Sonogram Bill Hearing

The House State Affairs Committee is hearing testimony on the sonogram bill.
Photo Courtesy of KUT News
The House State Affairs Committee is hearing testimony on the sonogram bill.

The House State Affairs Committee is taking invited testimony on a bill that would require women considering an abortion to receive a sonogram and have a doctor explain what they're seeing.

The bill, authored by Rep. Sid Miller (R-Stephenville), is similar to a bill already passed by the Senate. 

Becky Turner, a woman who had an abortion over 25 years ago, agrees with the bill.

"I'm hoping that you guys also consider it important and valuable enough to tell others, what's inside the womb. Because we can't see it," Turner said.

Turner said that she may have made the exact same decision, but hopes that this bill highlights the value of the  child.

Others have decried the bill as a governmental invasion into a woman's right to an abortion.  The bill is expected to be approved by the committee and sent to the full House for debate next week.

An anesthesiologist from Houston and spokesperson for A Right to Life said, "Imagine this woman who shows up to an abortion clinic. Often these are young women, teenagers. How can she process all of the information that is given to her immediately and make a life or death decision?"

Follow the committee hearing live here.(Requires RealPlayer)

 

Mario will be an intern at KUT for the spring of 2011. He is currently a student at UT Austin pursuing his MA in Journalism. Prior to UT, he spent 27 months in Costa Rica as a Peace Corps Volunteer. His reporting interests include Mexican-American studies, immigration issues, and the ongoing drug war in Mexico. He was born in Chihuahua, Mexico but grew up in El Paso, Texas and has a BA in Communication from UT-San Antonio.
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