Lansing, MI — The Women’s Right to Know Act was introduced today in the Michigan House.
Sponsored by Rep. Sue Allor, HB 5086 addresses three areas of informed consent for women seeking abortions: abortion pill reversal, heartbeat/miscarriage awareness, and prenatal diagnosis of a disability.
Right to Life of Michigan President Barbara Listing said, “Abortion businesses try hard to keep women in the dark. They don’t want women to understand the reality of abortion and its effects on them and their children. This legislation would address several areas where women are not being given proper informed consent before abortions.”
The abortion pill reversal provision requires the abortionist to let women taking the abortion pill know there is a treatment which may reverse the effects of the first pill of the two-drug regimen. Even though that treatment, progesterone, is commonly prescribed to prevent miscarriages, abortion supporters have claimed the treatment is “unproven,” “dangerous,” and wrongly suggest the child might be disabled if they survive the abortion pill’s effects.
Listing said, “These concerns are based on talking points, not reality and research. Practicing doctors have studied and used this common treatment to increase the chances of saving the child’s life. What bothers abortion businesses the most is that a woman might change her mind and choose life.”
The heartbeat/miscarriage awareness provision requires the abortionist to check for a fetal heartbeat and allow the woman the opportunity to hear or see the heartbeat. If no heartbeat is detected, the abortionist must give the woman the opportunity to return later if the gestational age is too young to detect a heartbeat, tell her of the likelihood of a miscarriage based on the absence of a fetal heartbeat, or offer to use a different technology to detect the heartbeat. The abortionist must also let her know that treatment for a missed miscarriage is not considered an abortion for insurance purposes.
Listing said, “From what we know of miscarriage rates, abortion businesses over the years have undoubtedly sold many abortions to women who no longer had viable pregnancies. How many women have anguished over their abortion decision even though their child’s life ended before they walked through the abortion facility’s doors? How many abortionists have profited from this unnecessary medical intervention?”
The prenatal disability provision requires the doctor making a diagnosis of a serious prenatal condition to give the woman a referral for more information. The state will be required to create a website with medically accurate information about prenatal conditions, support group information, and perinatal hospice programs.
Listing said, “Sadly, so many women who received a troubling prenatal diagnosis had it immediately followed with suggestions or even pressure to have an abortion. Women have a right to medically-accurate information about their developing child, access to support groups, and a medical profession which walks alongside her instead of pushing for eugenic abortions.”
For more information: Right to Life of Michigan Legislative Director Genevieve Marnon, (517) 487-3376, [email protected].
Background information:
Abortion pill reversal
Prenatal diagnosis pressure