Arming Women With the Truth About Abortion

    Every abortion performed leaves two victims in its wake: the unborn child that has its life torn away from it and the mother who is seduced with abortion as the answer to her problems at a very vulnerable point in her life.

    Every day in America, so-called "counselors," of whom the sole purpose is to sell abortions, connive women into consenting to this grizzly act. Industry insiders have recounted stories of their training and how they were taught to console and earn the trust of expectant mothers... then exploit that trust by convincing them that abortion is the answer.

    Since the abortion industry stands to gain financial profit from a woman's decision to abort, they knowingly suppress facts about the gruesome nature of the procedure, its devastating physical and psychological consequences, and the easy availability of alternatives such as adoption.

    Although it is common for clinics to administer ultrasounds to expectant mothers in order to determine the development of her child, and thereby the cost of the abortion, the woman herself is almost never allowed to see her own child and change her mind.

Law Lets Women Hear the Rest of the Story

    Women's "right to know" (informed consent) laws deal with this obvious conflict of interest by guaranteeing women receive critical information on the risks of abortion, such as infection, hemorrhage, danger to subsequent pregnancies, breast cancer, infertility, psychological consequences, and other dangers.

    A Women's Right to Know Act ensures that women are fully informed about adoption agencies, pregnancy care centers, medical assistance benefits, and the liability of the father to provide support.

Right to Know Laws Upheld as Clearly Constitutional

    At least sixteen states currently have Women's Right to Know laws in effect. Even in the face of orchestrated attacks by the abortion industry, courts in Michigan, Mississippi, North Dakota, South Dakota, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and Utah have ruled these laws to be constitutional.

    The United States Supreme Court, in the 1992 case Planned Parenthood v. Casey, upheld Pennsylvania's Women's Right to Know law. In that same year, the High Court also refused to review a lower court's ruling in Barnes v. Moore, which found Mississippi's Women's Right to Know law constitutional.

    Most recently, in February of 2003 the Supreme Court turned down a challenge to Indiana's informed consent law by abortion providers.

National Pro-Life Alliance Members Leading the Charge for a Federal Right to Know Legislation

   A national Women’s Right to Know law would take the success achieved by many states and apply it nationally. This would ensure that all women in America would be afforded the accurate and well-balanced information she needs in order to make the decision whether or not to abort.

    A national Women's Right to Know law would require that no less than 48 hours prior to any abortion to be performed after the first trimester of pregnancy, the woman seeking the abortion must be personally briefed by the staff of the clinic at which the abortion is to be performed.

Law Would Require Clinic Employees to Explain Risks and Alternatives

    At that time the mother must be given the following information regarding the risks involved with abortion as well as alternatives to the procedure:

• Thorough and accurate description of the nature of the proposed procedure.

• All physical and psychological risks involved in the abortion procedure versus carrying the pregnancy to term.

• A conflict of interest disclaimer disclosing what percentage of the clinic's gross income is from abortion, as well as how much money the clinic stands to lose should she decide not to abort.

• Availability of adoption alternatives and financial help from the adoptive parents for prenatal care, childbirth, and neonatal care expenses.

• Medical assistance benefits that may be available for prenatal care, childbirth and neonatal care.

• Names and contact information for organizations that are willing to assist with the costs involved in carrying the pregnancy to term.

• Information on the liability of the father for child support.

Mothers Would Be Able to Appreciate the Development and Characteristics of Their Unborn Children

    At the time of each clinic consultation, a Women's Right to Know law would also require that the mother be given relevant information about her unborn child and how the child would be affected by an abortion. This information would include:

• A sonogram of the unborn child.

• Probable gestational age of her unborn child, including provision of color photos of fetal development at 4-week increments.

• Description of the development of the child's nerve endings and the child's ability to feel pain at each stage of development.

• Relevant information on the potential survival of a child at its stage of development and the requirement of the doctor to take measures to save the life of the child should it be born alive.

    The law would also forbid the clinic to accept payment for an abortion until completing the 48-hour waiting period.

    With the success of Women's Right to Know laws at the state level and the recent rulings handed down by the Supreme Court, the stage is set for the passage of a national law to provide expectant mothers across the nation with the truth about abortion.