{"bills":[{"photos":{"featured":"https://assets.countable.us/bill/photo/hr492-114/featured_ultrasound-informed-consent-act-1477704218.jpg","featured_large":"https://assets.countable.us/bill/photo/hr492-114/featured_large_ultrasound-informed-consent-act-1477704218.jpg","shareable":"https://n.countable.us/share-images/bills/hr492-114.png"},"introduced_on":"2015-01-22","title_override":"Do Abortion Providers Need to Perform an Ultrasound and Give the Woman a Choice to View the Images?","summary_override":"

This bill would require abortion providers to perform an ultrasound on a pregnant woman prior to performing an abortion. The provider would be required to explain what the ultrasound depicts, give the woman a complete medical description of the embryo or fetus, any heart activity, and any external members or internal organs that are visible.

This legislation could not be interpreted in a way that requires a woman to view the images, or punish the provider or the woman if she declines to look at the images.

An abortion provider would be exempt from this requirement if the abortion is necessary to save the life of a woman whose life is in danger. The provider would be required to include a certification of the specific medical emergency that led to that determination in the woman’s medical file.

The Attorney General would be authorized to commence a civil action in federal court against any abortion provider that knowingly violates this legislation, assess penalties, and inform state medical authorities of penalties assessed. A woman who received an abortion that was performed in violation of this legislation would be authorized to file a civil action against the provider for actual and punitive damages.

","official_title":"To ensure that women seeking an abortion receive an ultrasound and the opportunity to review the ultrasound before giving informed consent to receive an abortion.","short_title":"Ultrasound Informed Consent Act","popular_title":null,"short_summary":"Ultrasound Informed Consent Act\n\nAmends the Public Health Service Act to require abortion providers, before a woman gives informed consent to any part of an abortion, to perform an obstetric ultrasound on the pregnant woman, provide a simultaneous explanation of what the ultrasound is depicting, display the ultrasound images so the woman may view them, and provide a complete medical description of the images, including the dimensions of the embryo or fetus, cardiac activity if present and visible, and the presence of external members and internal organs if present and viewable.\n\nProhibits construing this Act to require a woman to view the images or penalizing the provider or the woman if she declines to look at the images.\n\nExempts an abortion provider if the abortion is necessary to save the life of a woman whose life is endangered by a physical condition. Requires the provider to include in the woman's medical file a certification of the specific medical circumstances that support thi...","summarized":true,"cost":null,"cost_commentary":"A CBO cost estimate is unavailable.","impact":"Women seeking an abortion; abortion providers; state medical authorities; and the Attorney General.","argument_for":"Prior to having an abortion, a woman should be provided with an opportunity to view an ultrasound if she decides she wants to see the images.","argument_against":"A woman who is seeking an abortion shouldn’t be required to have an ultrasound performed on her, even if she doesn’t decide to view the ultrasound images.","bill_type":"hr","published":true,"type":"FederalBill","id":"hr492-114","bill_id":"hr492-114","formal_id":"H.R. 492","chamber":"house","congress":114,"last_action_at":"2015-01-23T00:00:00.000Z","active":false,"enacted":false,"enacted_at":null,"vetoed":false,"last_vote_at":null,"debated_on":null,"congress_url":"https://www.congress.gov/bill/114th/house-bill/492","plain_text_url":"http://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/BILLS-114hr492ih/html/BILLS-114hr492ih.htm","shareable_image_url":"https://n.countable.us/share-images/bills/hr492-114.png","congress_full_text_url":"https://www.congress.gov/bill/114th/house-bill/492/text","is_current_congress":false,"last_version_on":"2015-01-22","related_bill_ids":[],"progress":"Introduced","house_passage_result":false,"senate_passage_result":false,"position_count":701,"committees":[{"name":"Committee on Energy and Commerce","chamber":"house","committee_id":"HSIF","subcommittee":false},{"name":"Health","chamber":"house","committee_id":"HSIF14","subcommittee":true}],"links":{"rollCalls":"/api/roll_calls?bill_id=hr492-114","details":"/api/bills/hr492-114/details","sharingMessage":"/api/sharing_messages/hr492-114","positionsFor":"/api/bills/hr492-114/positions/for","positionsAgainst":"/api/bills/hr492-114/positions/against"},"upcoming":false,"cosponsors_count":11,"slug":"hr492-114-ultrasound-informed-consent-act","latest_chamber_votes_id":null,"official_url":null,"target_video":true,"following":false,"vote_count":5305,"yea_vote_count":926,"nay_vote_count":4367,"passed_house":false,"passed_senate":false,"vote_id":null,"my_position_id":null,"topic_ids":["health","families"],"issue_ids":["women-s-health","health","families"],"sponsor_id":431}],"votes":[],"issues":[{"id":"women-s-health","name":"Women's Health","slug":"women-s-health","description":"Vote on the latest federal legislation regarding Women's Health. Make your voice heard about the issues you care about. \r\n","page_title":"Women's Health Legislation - Vote on Bills, Stay informed, Hold Your Reps Accountable","icons":{"black":"https://assets.countable.us/issue/icon/women-s-health/black_women-s-health-1429042052.svg","grey":"https://assets.countable.us/issue/icon/women-s-health/grey_women-s-health-1429042052.svg","white":"https://assets.countable.us/issue/icon/women-s-health/white_women-s-health-1429042052.svg"},"cover_image_url":null,"is_following":false},{"id":"health","name":"Health","slug":"health","description":"Federal legislation around Health, encompassing: the Affordable Care Act, Medicare, Research into diseases (Cancer, HIV/Aids, Ebola), Drug safety, Hospital care and prescription drugs.","page_title":"Health Related US Federal legislation, including Medicare, ACA, and research - Vote on Bills, Stay informed, Hold Your Reps Accountable","icons":{"black":"https://assets.countable.us/issue/icon/health/black_health-1429042037.svg","grey":"https://assets.countable.us/issue/icon/health/grey_health-1429042037.svg","white":"https://assets.countable.us/issue/icon/health/white_health-1429042037.svg"},"cover_image_url":null,"is_following":false},{"id":"families","name":"Families","slug":"families","description":"Congressional legislation related to Families encompassing a wide variety of potential subjects, including: adoption child care, child safety, domestic violence and abuse, marriage, divorce and teenage pregnancy.","page_title":"Federal legislation related to Families - Vote on Bills, Stay informed, Hold Your Reps Accountable","icons":{"black":"https://assets.countable.us/issue/icon/families/black_families-1429042038.svg","grey":"https://assets.countable.us/issue/icon/families/grey_families-1429042038.svg","white":"https://assets.countable.us/issue/icon/families/white_families-1429042038.svg"},"cover_image_url":null,"is_following":false}],"users":[{"name":"Katie","vote_count":88,"photos":{"large":"https://countable-us.s3.amazonaws.com/user/avatar/default-2.png","small":"https://countable-us.s3.amazonaws.com/user/avatar/default-2.png","tiny":"https://countable-us.s3.amazonaws.com/user/avatar/default-2.png"},"links":{"following":"/api/users/pWRKERNZ/following","followers":"/api/users/pWRKERNZ/followers"},"about_me":null,"twitter_id":null,"facebook_id":null,"youtube_id":null,"google_plus_id":null,"website":null,"slug":null,"issue_count":0,"is_following":null,"influence_score":0,"influence_level":0,"follower_count":0,"following_count":3,"position_count":7,"id":"pWRKERNZ","partner_id":null},{"name":"bart","vote_count":655,"photos":{"large":"https://assets.countable.us/user/avatar/0emQpZxM/large_0emqpzxm-1424728285.jpg","small":"https://assets.countable.us/user/avatar/0emQpZxM/small_0emqpzxm-1424728285.jpg","tiny":"https://assets.countable.us/user/avatar/0emQpZxM/tiny_0emqpzxm-1424728285.jpg","facebook":"https://graph.facebook.com/548826295/picture"},"links":{"following":"/api/users/0emQpZxM/following","followers":"/api/users/0emQpZxM/followers"},"about_me":"\"You can fool all the people some of the time, and some of the people all the time, but you cannot fool all the people all the time\" Abraham Lincoln / Bob Marley. Believer in the power of an informed populace using smart tools at the right time. @Countable founder.","twitter_id":"bartolah","facebook_id":"bartmyers","youtube_id":null,"google_plus_id":"","website":"","slug":"bart","issue_count":56,"is_following":null,"influence_score":75645,"influence_level":40,"follower_count":1975,"following_count":931,"position_count":55,"id":"0emQpZxM","partner_id":null}],"bill_position":{"flagged":false,"id":"ec07a437-5e69-437f-9208-4eb412c4af7b","argument_for":null,"argument_against":"A 1st trimester ultasound is a vaginal ultrasound, not just a wand on the belly. If the woman is having an abortion due to being raped, you are further traumatizing an already traumatized woman.","show_argument_for":false,"show_argument_against":true,"upvote_count":2,"upvotes_for_count":null,"upvotes_against_count":2,"has_upvoted":false,"endorsement_count":2,"links":{"self":"https://www.countable.us/positions/ec07a437-5e69-437f-9208-4eb412c4af7b"},"body":"A 1st trimester ultasound is a vaginal ultrasound, not just a wand on the belly. If the woman is having an abortion due to being raped, you are further traumatizing an already traumatized woman.","stance":"nay","created_at":"2017-01-12T15:55:12.598Z","shareable_image_url":"https://n.countable.us/share-images/positions/ec07a437-5e69-437f-9208-4eb412c4af7b.png","note_color":null,"note_text":null,"bill_id":"hr492-114","user_id":"pWRKERNZ","endorser_ids":["0emQpZxM","pWRKERNZ"]}}

Like Countable?

Katie

Do Abortion Providers Need to Perform an Ultrasound and Give the Woman a Choice to View the Images?