Advocating for Bill HB 1524

Karen Cheeks
Old Dominion University
June 28, 2015

23593 Richland Grove Dr.

Ashburn, VA 20148
June 14, 2015
Delegate Thomas Greason
P.O Box 406, Office 513
Richmond, VA 20148
Dear Delegate Greason:
I am requesting your support in passing bill HB 1524, which eliminates the requirement
of a trans abdominal ultrasound prior to an abortion. This legislation is relevant in
establishing a womans right to make medical decisions regarding her body without
interference from the government. The choice to have a procedure should ultimately be
the choice of a patient, and not of legislators.
Opponents of bill HB 1524 claim the mandating of an ultrasound prior to an abortion
gives women the opportunity to make an informed and autonomous decision (Rocha,
2012). They argue, upon viewing an ultrasound image the odds of a woman having an
abortion would be decreased, and she can be persuaded to carry the pregnancy to term
(Zerwick, 2014). Pro-life advocates and supporters of ultrasounds prior to abortion
claim, 90% of women change their mind on having an abortion after viewing an
ultrasound image (Waldman, 2014). However, research shows most women are confident
in their decision to have an abortion when they enter a facility (Stevens, 2010). The
medical records of 15,575 women who visited an abortion provider showed women chose
to view an ultrasound 42.5% of the time. The majority of the women (98.8%) after
viewing the ultrasound went ahead and had the abortion procedure (Gatter, Foster, Weitz,
Upadhyay, 2014).

I support this bill, because mandating a ultrasound prior to an abortion violates a patients
right, is medically unnecessary, and a financial strain. Critics of laws that require
ultrasounds before an abortion argue these laws are crafted by right-wing, pro-life forces
who are more interested in preventing abortion than women making informed,
autonomous choices (Rocha, 2012, p.37). The Guttmacher Institute (2011) claim the
requirement to have an ultrasound in the first trimester of pregnancy is not medically
necessary and an unnecessary cost. A patients right to choice of treatment is removed by
enacting legislation to have an ultrasound prior to an abortion. The American Congress
of Obstetrics and Gynecologist address this issue by stating this legislation forces
physicians to violate the ethical principle of respect for patient autonomy, which entails
that patients be able to choose which treatments they receive and that they be able to
make treatment decisions without coercion (Russo, 2014, p.242). The financial cost can
be a burden especially for poor women. Virginia Pro-choice Coalition estimates the cost
of an ultrasound can average between $200-$1200. Additionally, insurance companies do
not reimburse an ultrasound, if it is classified as medically unnecessary (Dusenbery,
2012).
I encourage you to support bill, HB 1524, because of the evidence provided showing,
there is little to no effect of an ultrasound prior to an abortion being beneficial for a
patient. As a political leader, I look forward to your support on this legislation.

Sincerely yours,
Karen Cheeks

References
Dusenbery, M. (2012). Why Virginias new mandatory law still sucks. Mother Jones.
Retrieved from: http://motherjones.com/mojo/2012103/why-virginias-newmandatory-ultrasound-law-still-sucks.
Gatter, K., Foster, D., Weitz, T., Upadhyay, U. (2014). Relationship between ultrasound
viewing and proceeding to abortion. Obstetrics & Gynecology, 123 (1), 81-87.
Gattmacher Institute (2011). State laws on ultrasound abortion. Guttmacher Institute.
Retrieved from: http://guttmacher.org/statecenter/spibs/spib_RFU.pdf
Rocha, J. (2012). Autonomous abortions: the inhibiting of womens autonomy through
legal ultrasound requirements. Kennedy Institute of Ethics Journal, 22(1), 35-58.
Russo, J. (2014). Mandated ultrasound prior to abortion. The Virtual Mentor: VM, 16
(4), 240-244. doi: 10. 1001/virtualmentor.2014.16.04.ecasi_1404.
Stevens, M. (2010). A womans right to choose. Nursing Update, 34(2), 32-37.
Waldman, K. (2014). Does looking at the ultrasound before an abortion change
womens minds? Slate. Retrieved from:

http://slate.com/blogs/xx_factor/2014/01/09/ultrasound_viewing_before_an_abortion_a_
new_study_finds_that_for_a_small.html
Zerwick, P. (2014). What do you see when you look at this sonogram image?
Glamour. Retrieved from:

http://glamour.com/how_women_seeking_abortions_feel_about_viewing_a_sonogram

Honor Code
I pledge to support the Honor system of Old Dominion University. I will refrain from
any form of academic dishonesty or deception, such as cheating or plagiarism. I am
aware that as a member of the academic community, it is my responsibility to turn all
suspected violators of the Honor Code. I will report to a hearing if summoned
Karen Cheeks