Ever since the U.S. Supreme Court declared an unrestricted right to abortion in America in 1973, the practice of abortion has been exempt from practically all medical standards, including informed consent. A major study found more than 90 percent of the women surveyed felt that they did not have enough information to make an informed abortion decision. Nearly 80 percent of women believe they were misinformed or denied relevant information during their pre-abortion counseling.

It is extremely critical for pregnant women to have ALL the information about abortion, including a listing of the risks involved as well as the alternatives. This needs to be done BEFORE the woman makes the final decision about whether to have an abortion or not.

If this were any other medical procedure, then there would be no debate. Yet, abortion is the only surgical procedure where the patient is NOT given full disclosure about the potential risks involved, which would help her make an informed decision.

Think about this: Would you go to the doctor to have him go in and remove something from your body without getting all of the information you need about the possible dangers so you can decide whether or not you wanted to have the surgery?

OF COURSE NOT! But, that is exactly what is happening all across this country day after day.

However, activists in our neighboring state of Georgia are trying to do something about this. There is an organized campaign with an online petition that supports Georgia’s official “Woman’s Right To Know” bill.

The “Woman’s Right To Know” bill currently being considered in Georgia requires that women seeking abortion be provided the following information 24 hours prior to the abortion:

- The name of the physician performing the abortion
- A description of the abortion procedure to be used
- The possible physical and psychological risks associated with abortion
- The medical risks associated with carrying the child to term
- Alternatives to abortion
- The probable gestational age and anatomical characteristics of the unborn child at the time of the abortion

Polls have been conducted nationally revealing that three out of four people who describe themselves as “pro-choice” favor laws protecting a woman’s right to full disclosure about abortions. That is because most “pro-choice” supporters are advocates of women’s rights and are not necessarily supporters of the procedure of abortion.

Nevertheless, only eighteen states across America have passed “Woman’s Right To Know” legislation. Unfortunately, that means about two-thirds of the states are unwilling to stand up for this fundamental right for women!

Enough with the talking points about the issue of abortion. They have been debated back and forth for decades. What we need are people willing to get past the rhetoric and focus on the issues that matters most.

A "Woman's Right to Know" law seeks to protect women from the risks of abortion, such as infection, hemorrhage, danger to subsequent pregnancies, breast cancer, psychological consequences, and other dangers. In order for women to make an informed choice, they must be given information that provides them with accurate and adequate information.

Sadly, abortion clinics do not care about telling women the truth. In most states, abortion doctors do not permit the pregnant women to see the ultrasound pictures of their baby. The truth is that abortionists know that a woman will become attached to their unborn baby once she sees the picture. And that’s not good for the multi-billion dollar business known as abortion!

The U.S. Supreme Court has weighed in on the issue of a “Woman’s Right To Know.” The justices have made it clear that informed consent is defined as “a reasonable measure to insure an informed choice, one which might cause the woman to choose childbirth over abortion.”

The time has come for “Woman’s Right To Know” legislation to be passed in ALL 50 STATES, including South Carolina. I challenge our state legislators to champion this legislation in the next session of the General Assembly.

Since abortion is such a political hot potato, the real issues surrounding it have become muddied. Nevertheless, having an abortion is a major ordeal that will affect a woman for the rest of her life. You hear stories everyday about women who are so overidden with guilt years after killing their baby that they decide life isn’t worth living anymore. The longer abortion continues to exist in this nation, the less we will see God’s protection over us. I know you agnostics and atheists out there don’t like to hear that, but that doesn’t make it any less true.

Some women may feel like they have no other alternative to having an abortion. But by passing “Woman’s Right To Know” laws, women are informed about all of their choices, including adoption agencies, crisis pregnancy centers, medical assistance benefits and the liability of the father to provide support. A “Woman’s Right To Know” law does not interfere with women who want an abortion but rather it allows the state to take steps to ensure that this choice is thoughtful and informed.

The “Woman’s Right To Know” bill would provide pregnant women with information regarding the medical risks of abortion, alternatives to having an abortion and accurate medical facts about the development of an unborn child before she make this permanent and life-affecting decision.

Although there are many medical standards in the medical community, there are very few in the abortion industry. Many pregnant women do not ever consult with the doctor who will be performing the abortion until they are on the surgical table. And even then, the doctor is not going to tell the patient about the physical or psychological risks involved with abortion!

People who are serious about allowing the woman to have the right to choose should openly welcome this legislation. It guarantees women will be given all the facts and information regarding their decision to have an abortion or not. These are all essential to allowing women to have a real “choice.”

Allowing abortion providers to govern themselves has not worked. Abortion is a big business that these doctors are unwilling to let go of. It is time that something is done to require abortion doctors to inform their patients fully! Contrary to what critics may say, the “Woman’s Right To Know” legislation does not prevent a woman from having access to an abortion. Instead, it allows her to be informed before she has one.

Since tobacco companies are required to warn smokers of the risks associated with smoking and cancer, doesn’t it stand to reason that abortion doctors should be required to warn pregnant women about the dangers of having an abortion?

The bottom line is that it is better for women to be fully armed with the information they need than to assume that she knows it already and allow her to have an abortion without a proper understanding of all the risks, benefits and alternatives.

Groups like Planned Parenthood and other abortion advocates object to “Woman’s Right To Know” laws because they claim that they are already doing a good enough job of educating women with the facts and options available to them.

But in an article entitled “How To Prevent An Unintended Pregnancy” by Gloria Feldt, the President of Planned Parenthood, posted on Monday, October 21, 2002, she boldly recommends that women who find themselves worrying about whether or not they are pregnant after having unprotected sex can use an “emergency contraception (EC), which can significantly reduce the risk of pregnancy if started within 72 hours of unprotected intercourse. EC is more effective the sooner it's taken, so every woman should have it in her medicine cabinet.” Taking an EC is nothing more than performing an abortion on yourself! And this is the kind of “education” that Planned Parenthood claims it is providing women.

If it were true that Planned Parenthood is educating women about ALL of the alternatives available to them before having an abortion, then why would they be against legislation that would ensure all women would receive that same information?

Also, some people incorrectly view these “Woman’s Right To Know” bills as intruding on a woman's right to have an abortion. But by opposing this legislation, critics are in essence saying they trust women with the abortion decision but not with having all of the information necessary to make that decision.

It certainly doesn’t make sense to anyone who has any common sense!

The "Woman's Right to Know" bill gives all women who are considering an abortion the information they need to make an informed choice.

Why would ANYBODY be against this?