A controversial piece of legislation was delayed in the Alabama Senate Health Committee on Wednesday
SB 272, the Ultrasound Access Act, was scheduled for a public hearing, and has yet to be rescheduled.
The measure would require a woman seeking an abortion to get a sonogram two days before the scheduled procedure and listen to a detailed, verbal description of the development of the fetus including an “audible heartbeat if present.” Additionally, a woman could receive a free sonogram image upon request.
Sponsored by Tuscaloosa-Republican Rep. Gerald Allen, the bill also requires doctors to say how much they are paid for the abortion procedure. Calling it a “Conflict of Interest Disclaimer” the legislation endeavors to let the mother knows how much money the doctor will lose if the she chooses to opt out of the abortion.
A federal appeals court blocked a similar law in North Carolina in 2014, and just law week a similar bill in Indiana was blocked by a federal judge on the grounds that it creates a “clearly undue” burden on women.
