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One of the worst laws in the "war on women," Texas's mandatory ultrasound law, currently being fought in the courts has gotten the go-ahead from an appeals court--which means Texas doctors may now be forced to deliver particularly invasive ultrasounds and read out information to abortion-seeking patients, no matter what they themselves or their patients want.
According to the Guttmacher Institute, 88 percent of abortions occur during the first 12 weeks of pregnancy. Because the fetus is so small at this stage, traditional ultrasounds performed through the abdominal wall, "jelly on the belly," often cannot produce a clear image. Therefore, a transvaginal probe is most often necessary, especially up to 10 weeks to 12 weeks of pregnancy. The probe is inserted into the vagina, sending sound waves to reflect off body structures to produce an image of the fetus. Under this new law, a woman's vagina will be penetrated without an opportunity for her to refuse due to coercion from the so-called "public servants" who passed and signed this bill into law.