Colorado lawmakers reject bill that would let women see ultrasound of their baby before abortions

The Colorado Senate has rejected a bill that would give pregnant women the option to see an ultrasound of their baby before they go through with an abortion.

Colorado Senate Bill 284 was defeated after two Republican lawmakers joined Democrats on the floor of the chamber to oppose the bill. Republican Sens. Don Coram from Durango and Beth Martinez Humenik from Thornton, along with 17 Democrats, cast their vote against the bill on Thursday.

The legislation, sponsored by pro-life Republicans Kevin Lundberg from Berthoud and Vicki Marble from Fort Collins, would have required abortion facilities to offer women the option to see an ultrasound image of the baby and have the image described to the patient.

It also required the facilities to provide information about alternatives to abortion as well as the abortion pill reversal option.

Additionally, the measure mandates a 24-hour waiting period between the woman receiving the information and the abortion procedure, but the patients have the option not to receive the information.

Opponents characterized the measure as government overreach, in which the law is used to advance "unscientific" practices and promote the use of pro-life health clinics.

In his Facebook page, Lundberg noted that the bill does not determine whether or not abortion should be legal and maintained that it only requires abortion providers to provide full information to their patients before performing terminating their pregnancy.

"I regret that the abortion industry is so resolute in their opposition to anything that gives the child a chance to live. The good news is that more and more Americans are coming to realize that unborn children should be protected," Lundberg wrote, as reported by The Colorado Statesman.

After the vote on Thursday, Planned Parenthood Votes Colorado praised the Republican-led Senate for defeating the bill.

"Planned Parenthood is glad to see the measure defeated, but the fact that it got to the Senate floor shows there is still an extreme faction in the Senate that is out of step with everyday Coloradans' lives," said Sarah Taylor-Nanista, VP Public Affairs of Planned Parenthood Votes Colorado.

Taylor-Nanista asserted that the bill contains provisions that are not medically necessary or scientifically supported.

"Planned Parenthood strongly opposes bills such as these which really are about shaming women and scaring doctors," she added.

Planned Parenthood has blocked a similar law in Indiana last summer and it also sued Kentucky over a similar ultrasound law earlier this year.