Commonwealth Policy Center

Mandatory ultrasounds will remain the law of the land in Kentucky and three other states. This is because the U.S. Supreme Court denied the ACLU’s challenge of Kentucky’s ultrasound law. The law passed the General Assembly in 2017 and requires abortionists to provide ultrasound images to women seeking an abortion. They must also describe what is shown on the screen and to point out the heartbeat if it’s detected. This means that the mandatory ultrasound law is fully constitutional for all the states within the Sixth Circuit (KY, MI, OH, and TN). Practically, the law is meant to give women all the information using existing technology, in order for them to make a fully informed decision. It’s expected that once women realize that there’s a living, moving human being they’re carrying, they’ll choose life.