Gov. Scott Walker (R-WI)
Here's Gov. Scott Walker trying to paint his forced-ultrasound-before-abortion law as
a generous gift from him to the women of Wisconsin:
“The thing about that, the media tried to make that sound like that was a crazy idea,” he said. “Most people I talked to, whether they’re pro-life or not, I find people all the time that pull out their iPhone and show me a picture of their grandkids’ ultrasound and how excited they are, so that’s a lovely thing. I think about my sons are 19 and 20, we still have their first ultrasounds. It’s just a cool thing out there.”
There's a little bit of difference between an ultrasound of a desired pregnancy late enough in the game that you can see limbs and so on and an ultrasound mandated by the state to coerce you out of terminating a pregnancy, which will in the overwhelming majority of cases be happening before any details are clearly visible to the untrained eye. You don't have to think highly of Scott Walker's intelligence to believe that even he can understand that.
No, what we're talking about is a procedure that's considered medically unnecessary for first-trimester abortions (though some clinics do routinely do ultrasounds even in the absence of laws requiring them). And while the Wisconsin law is billed as allowing women to choose between a transvaginal or abdominal ultrasound, the reality is that in early pregnancy, transvaginal is required to get a clear view of things, because the fetus is so small at that point. So what are they requiring? Journalist Megan Carpentier went through a transvaginal ultrasound as part of her reporting on such laws:
... it was vigorously uncomfortable — more than a typical pelvic exam, with which most women are very familiar. In part, it’s more uncomfortable because the technician has to press the wand directly against the areas she wants to get an image of — your uterus, Fallopian tubes and ovaries — so there’s more movement and more direct contact with pressure-sensitive areas of your body; you’re also not lying flat on your back to facilitate access to the upper reaches of your vagina; and you’re being penetrated with a longer, rigid object than is used in a regular pelvic exam.
Your mileage may vary on "vigorously" uncomfortable—in my experience it's run-of-the-mill doctor's office uncomfortable, but still not something I'd like to bring Scott Walker in on. And frankly, while everyone talks about transvaginal ultrasounds as obviously the more unpleasant scenario, abdominal ultrasounds are not a walk in the park, either. But beyond the physical discomfort, we are, again, talking about the state mandating a medically unnecessary procedure. The grandparents are not going to be pulling out their iPhones to show these pictures. It is not a "cool" or "lovely" memento of your abortion. Let's force Scott Walker to have a medically unnecessary colonoscopy and see how lovely he thinks that is.