The Senate State Affairs Committee has voted on party lines to introduce legislation requiring any Idaho woman who has an abortion to first have an ultrasound. "Because ultrasound is a key element of informed consent, it should be required that a woman have that before she has an abortion upon her," Kerry Uhlenkott, legislative director of Right to Life of Idaho, told the senators. "Information empowers a women to make true, informed decisions."

Senate Majority Leader Bart Davis, R-Idaho Falls, immediately moved to introduce the bill, and Senate President Pro-Tem Brent Hill, R-Rexburg, seconded the motion; Sens. Michelle Stennett, D-Ketchum, and Edgar Malepeai, D-Pocatello, then asked Uhlenkott questions about the bill. "We were just presented an RS that someone should not be required to pay for a medical procedure or be part of a system that is against their conscience. I guess my question is, this is requiring an invasive procedure to be done possibly against someone's wishes as part of a medical process. Do you see any contradiction in requiring someone to have a procedure like this?" Uhlenkott responded, "No, the informed consent is vital for a woman, ultrasound is vital for a women to have, before she makes her decision on to have an abortion or not."

Uhlenkott said the bill "would require that an ultrasound be performed on a pregnant woman ... by whichever method the abortion provider and the pregnant woman decide upon."