Abortion

Oklahoma AG Officially Appeals Ultrasound Ruling

The state attorney general is arguing that mandatory ultrasounds are "ensuring women receive meaningful medical information."

Oklahoma Attorney General Scott Pruitt speaking at a news conference. [img src]

Do only women need “meaningful medical information?” That appears to be the argument behind Oklahoma’s Attorney General Scott Pruitt’s decision to challenge the district judge’s ruling that mandating medical test for just one type of procedure is unconstitutional.

Via Tulsa World:

The judge determined that the measure is unconstitutional special law because it “improperly is addressed only to patients, physicians and sonographers concerning abortions and does not address all patients, physicians and sonographers concerning other medical care where a general law could clearly be made applicable.”

In other words, patients receiving sonograms for any other reasons are not subjected to such legislatively mandated explanations, much less a mandated sonogram.

Why should doctors be told how to practice medicine in this one particular instance?

Of course, Pruitt doesn’t see it this way. He argues that the trial court erred in ruling that “the Oklahoma Constitution forbids legislation ensuring women receive meaningful medical information.”

Pruitt’s challenge is likely needed to continue escalating the case through the court system, where it can eventually be used to provoke a Supreme Court ruling, as the 5th Circuit court has already ruled the procedure is constitutional.