An Oklahoma judge has suspended the American state’s new abortion law that requires women to undergo a detailed ultrasound scan an hour before having an abortion.
The 45 day suspension follows a legal challenge by a pro-abortion group who claim that the law is unconstitutional and “detrimental to women in the state”.
Pro-lifers had welcomed the new measures as an attempt to save the lives of unborn children and prevent psychological trauma to pregnant women.
Privacy
But the pro-abortion Centre for Reproductive Rights (CRR) claims that the measures are a breach of privacy and force women to hear information that isn’t relevant to their healthcare.
However, Representative Lisa Billy defended the Bill saying that it “does nothing more than give women as much information as possible before they make the life altering decision to have an abortion.”
And Tony Lauinger, state chairman of Oklahomans for Life and vice president of the National Right to Life Committee, vowed to continue fighting for the new law.
Process
Mr Lauinger said: “This has been a long process and apparently it will be a little longer.
“The abortion industry would like to hide the truth from women about their unborn children.”
He added: “We believe women greatly benefit from the information an ultrasound provides.”
Abortion
The CRR is representing two Oklahoma abortion providers.
Last week it was revealed that a baby boy in Italy had survived for two days after a botched abortion at 22 weeks.
Press reports claim the mother chose to abort the baby after a prenatal scan showed he had a cleft lip and palate.
He was wrapped in a sheet and left to die by staff at the Rossano Calabro hospital in Italy, but the day after the abortion the baby boy, who still had his umbilical cord attached, was discovered moving and breathing by a Roman Catholic priest.
The baby was rushed to another nearby hospital, where he died the following day.