Free Republic

The North Carolina Attorney General will appeal a federal appeals court’s ruling striking down a North Carolina law allowing women a chance to see an ultrasound of their unborn child before an abortion is done. The U.S. Court of Appeals for the 4th Circuit struck down a North Carolina law requiring a 24-hour waiting period and informed consent of a woman before an abortion is performed. In January 2013, a district court imposed a temporary injunction on the law, claiming that its mandated disclosures about abortion are an unconstitutional imposition of “the state’s philosophic and social position discouraging abortion,” rather...

If there is anything abortion activists hate the most, it’s photos of unborn babies in the womb. They reveal the truth about the humanity of the unborn baby in a way that convinces many people abortion is the killing of an unborn child. Frequent LifeNews author Sarah Terzo highlights one quote from an abortion advocate who doesn’t like them: From pro-choice author Melody Rose: The images and language most often wielded by pro-life advocates are vivid and emotional… recent developments in imaging technique certainly have facilitated a reliance on powerful pictures that humanize the fetus in a way not possible...

Richmond, Va. — The 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals on Monday declared as unconstitutional a North Carolina law requiring abortion providers to show a woman an ultrasound and describe the images in detail four hours before she can have an abortion. The decision upholds a lower-court ruling from January and could send the issue to the Supreme Court. "This compelled speech, even though it is a regulation of the medical profession, is ideological in intent and in kind," the 4th Circuit judges wrote in their 37-page opinion. "The means used by North Carolina extend well beyond those states have...

State Sen. Mamie Locke, D-Hampton, has filed a bill that would removes the requirement that a woman undergo a fetal transabdominal ultrasound prior to an abortion. The General Assembly enacted the requirement in 2012, generating a national uproar. Abortion advocates said the measure was a medically unnecessary invasion, while anti-abortion advocates said the aim was to help women be better informed.

LITTLE ROCK, Ark. — A divided Arkansas medical panel has voted to require doctors to perform an ultrasound test on a patient before an abortion. The Arkansas State Medical Board voted 7-6 Thursday to implement parts of a state law, which also requires doctors to tell a woman the likelihood of a fetus surviving if carried to term, the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette (http://bit.ly/1tYsSnT ) reported. The board initially rejected the regulation, 6-7, but one member asked for a second vote, saying he wanted to switch his vote to a "yes." He had wanted the board to approve the regulation "under protest,"...

“There was a time before ultrasound that we didn’t realize that movement happened before 16 – 17 weeks. But now with ultrasound you can see that little seven week baby moving, just slight movement, and it’s the first movement of life. But by the time that baby is nine weeks, 10 weeks old, it’s utilizing the whole uterine cavity and you’ll see the babies waving in the womb, and flipping and sucking their thumbs, and what happens then, when I can introduce that ultrasound to the woman, even when she’s considering abortion, we have found that over 80 to 90%...

This mom might have the coolest baby ever in her belly. Brandon Hopkins, the baby's father, says that the mom is actually pregnant with twins! Hopkins says this photo was taken earlier this week.

GREENSBORO, NC - A North Carolina law requiring women who want an abortion to have an ultrasound and then have a medical provider describe the image to them is a violation of constitutional free-speech rights, a federal judge ruled Friday.

For nearly three years after I had an abortion at 6 weeks gestation in February 2009, I had a strong desire to return to the abortion clinic to obtain my records. I hoped to find out something, anything, I could about my first baby, though I honestly don’t know what I thought I would find. I just knew I needed to go. At times, it felt as if this child didn’t really exist because I had nothing tangible declaring he did. What I hoped more than anything else was that they would have an ultrasound photo on record. I remember...

DALLAS, Texas, September 9, 13 (LifeSiteNews.com) – How can pro-lifers effectively reach out to women who are literally en route to abort their unborn babies? For the pro-life movement, that’s the million-dollar question. Now one pro-life innovator, Joe Baker, founder and president of Save the Storks, believes he has found the answer: A mobile, fully-equipped, state-of-the-art medical center custom fitted into a Mercedes-Benz van, parked directly between the woman and the abortion clinic.

Nickel oxide nanoparticles glued together with ultrasound lost none of their catalytic activity © Wiley-VCHResearchers are using ultrasound to bond nanoparticles – essentially sticking together particles too small to be seen with sounds too high-pitched to be heard. The technique apparently preserves the special properties of nanomaterials, while producing micro-scale particles that are easier to handle.Jake Barralet at McGill University in Montreal, Canada, and colleagues show they can take nanoparticles, coat them in phosphate and then weld them together in an ultrasonic bath to form microparticles around 200µm in size.A chance discovery, the team initially assumed the phenomenon was...

The newest breakthrough in the pro-life movement isn't a bill in Congress or a march on Washington: it's a mobile ultrasound vehicle. Equipped with a team of Christian medical professionals, 22 mobile vehicles already visited 19 cities in the United States. Michael Homula, executive director of ICU Mobile, shared the story on Wednesday at a Family Research Council event. ICU stands for Image Clear Ultrasound, but also sounds like "I See You," as in "I see you in the womb." "We're not interested in having a pro-life-mobile," he said. "We're very interested in appealing to women who are considering aborting...

Benoit's new "state-of-the-art imaging" uses software that maps the preborn baby in incredible detail, adding color, skin texture, lighting, shadows… I remember being excited about the ultrasound I had while pregnant with my son. Compared with the amazing images the machines can produce today, however, that photo—though still treasured—was black and white, grainy and unclear at best. One doctor in particular; Dr. Bernard Benoit, of the Princess Grace Hospital in Monaco, has been working on developing better imaging. He is reportedly known around the world for his technological advances with ultrasounds. In one photo, the baby-in-utero appears to be smiling,...

It’s hard not to blame the influence of technology for the seemingly inexorable spread of the culture of death. Accurate and safe prenatal testing has led to the destruction of an estimated 90 percent of unborn children diagnosed with Down syndrome. Sonograms reveal that the sex of yet-to-be-born children has led to a “small-h” holocaust against girls in places such as China and India, where boys are often preferred. But technology can also be a huge advantage in the fight to recognize and protect the sanctity of human life — every human life. For example, pro-lifers have worked diligently to...

An untold story today following yesterday’s Pennsylvania primaries is what a bad, bad night it was for Planned Parenthood.In Pennsylvania’s 134th House district, they spent an eye-popping $100,000 on a TV ad campaign trying to sink the candidacy of Republican Ryan Mackenzie by linking him to ultrasound legislation that was before the legislature.As Politico noted, this was seen as a trial-balloon of sorts: Most state legislative races and ad campaigns don’t necessarily have any larger resonance, but Democrats have been working to make the ultrasound bill the kind of liability for Republicans in Pennsylvania that a related proposal became for...

I had a surgical abortion when I was 20 years old. I don’t remember many details. But what I do remember was not pleasant.I don’t remember how far along I was in my pregnancy. I do know that I paid $500.00 for my abortion.I went through a group counseling session with several other women. My “counselor” told me that she had 9 previous abortions. I think she said it to make us feel better somehow…and it worked.I don’t remember walking into the exam room. There was a nurse there giving me IV drugs to help me relax. I can’t say...

Courtesy of the National Journal: Virginia Gov. Bob McDonnell would rather spend his time talking about a struggling economy than about abortion rights. So, naturally, a good chunk of NBC’s Meet the Press focused on the latter. Last week McDonnell signed into law a bill that would require women to have an ultrasound before getting an abortion. The bill was less invasive than an original version in that it only requires external ultrasounds (rather than the transvaginal type), but still has raised the ire of many constituents. When asked by host David Gregory how he could support such a mandated...

Amid continued protests from Democrats, Republican Governor Bob McDonnell on Wednesday signed into law a controversial bill requiring Virginia women to undergo an ultrasound procedure prior to having an abortion. The bill sparked national debate this month over a provision that would have required many women to undergo transvaginal ultrasounds, which opponents decried as medically unnecessary and physically invasive. McDonnell, a conservative who opposes abortion rights, ultimately requested that mandate be stripped. The Virginia House of Delegates passed a revised version last week that allows women to "reject" a transvaginal ultrasound and instead opt for an abdominal ultrasound, which generally...

Gov. McDonnell just signed into law HB 462, mandating that women seeking abortion care in Virginia undergo and pay for an ultrasound and make two-trips to the health center. This law is nothing but an attempt to shame and place barriers for women seeking legal abortion care in Virginia. Tell Gov. McDonnell that this overreach of government is unacceptable and disrespectful. Tell him his vote didn't represent you and include why this issue is important to you. Call and leave a message at 804-786-2211 and email him by clicking here. The outpouring of support in fighting these anti-women attacks has...

This is absolutely out of control. But it was a brilliant strategy that Planned Parenthood and friends used to defeat a bill in Virginia that would have required pre-abortion ultrasounds: Get as many people as possible to repeat the word “transvaginal” in news and commentary, in order to accomplish two things: defeat the legislation at hand and make your opposition look like a freak show. At one protest against the legislation, “Molly Vick of Richmond said it was her first time to take part in a protest, but the issue was too infuriating and compelling,” the Washington Post reported. Ms....