SB542 specifies that before a pregnant woman gives informed consent to an abortion or receives any anesthesia or medication for an abortion, the provider must perform an obstetric ultrasound and provide a simultaneous verbal explanation of the ultrasound images. The provider must also display the ultrasound images for the patient to view, document this in the patient’s medical record, provide a medical description of the images, and retain the images in the medical record.
The Arkansas State House of Representatives passed SB542 on April 5, 2023 by a vote of 80 to 12. We have assigned pluses to the ayes because states should act to ban abortion and guarantee the right to life for all persons. The right to life is the most fundamental, God-given, and unalienable right asserted in the Declaration of Independence and protected by the 5th and 14th Amendments to the U.S. Constitution.