Abortion ultrasound bill headed to Idaho Senate

BOISE, Idaho (AP) – An Idaho Senate panel has advanced legislation requiring abortion providers to give women information on accessing free ultrasound services.

Republican members on the Senate State Affairs Committee approved sending House Bill 516 to the Senate floor on Friday. The committee’s two Democratic members opposed the measure.

If approved, the Idaho Department of Health and Welfare would compile a list of providers that offer free ultrasounds for women seeking abortions. The list would be part of the informed consent brochures abortion providers are required to distribute.

Currently, 13 other states require some sort of verbal counseling or written materials to include information on accessing an ultrasound, according to the Guttmacher Institute, a research center that supports abortion rights. Separately, 25 states impose regulations on how abortion providers give ultrasounds.

The measure, which has already passed in the House, is expected to survive the Senate.