NEWS FLASH

Oklahoma Judge Strikes Down State’s Mandatory Ultrasound Law | On Wednesday, an Oklahoma district judge struck down a state law requiring women to have an ultrasound image placed in front of them and to listen to a detailed description of the fetus before having an abortion. District Judge Bryan Dixon ruled that the 2010 measure is an unconstitutional special law because it only affects patients, physicians, and sonographers who deal with abortions without addressing other medical care. Along with Oklahoma, several states have mandatory ultrasound laws; Virginia passed one most recently. Challenges against these types of laws are pending in North Carolina and Ohio, while Texas’ law went into effect this year after a judge upheld it.