S.C. abortion bill: First must see ultrasound

COLUMBIA, S.C. - With calls of emotional blackmail from opponents, a measure requiring women seeking abortions to first review ultrasound images of their fetuses advanced yesterday in the South Carolina legislature.

The legislation, supported by Republican Gov. Mark Sanford, passed, 91-23, after lawmakers defeated amendments exempting cases of rape or incest. The House must approve the bill again in a routine vote before it goes to the Senate, where its sponsor expects it to pass with those exemptions.

Some states make ultrasound images available to women before an abortion, but South Carolina would be alone in requiring women to view the pictures.

Critics consider the proposal a tool to intimidate women who have already have made an agonizing decision.

"You love them in the womb, but once they get here, it's a different story," Rep. Gilda Cobb-Hunter, a Democrat and a social worker, said to supporters of the legislation. "You're sitting here passing judgment? Who gave you the right?"