6 State Senators from Utah Walk off the Floor, Refuse to Vote on Abortion Ultrasound Bill

Six female lawmakers walked off the floor of the Utah State Senate, refusing to vote on a bill that later passed on Tuesday. The bill mandates that women be shown an ultrasound before they receive an abortion.

At present, women who opt for an abortion receive an ultrasound before the procedure; however, health care providers are not required to show the results.

As for the new bill, “doctors could be fined $100,000 or more if they perform the procedure without showing a pregnant woman an image from an ultrasound and making the fetal heartbeat audible, if possible,” reported Fox News.

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According to Republican Sen. Deidre Henderson, the walkout protested the “invasive nature” of the bill. “I am very pro-life, and always vote for pro-life bills. But I’m concerned that we are overstepping with government mandates of medically unnecessary procedures,” Henderson said.

Sen. Luz Escamilla, D-Utah, referred to the decision to leave the Senate floor a “spontaneous decision.” “A spontaneous decision not planned of sisterhood against the invasive nature of HB 364 #epic #sheroes #utleg,” she said in a tweet.

However, even with no votes from these two Republicans and four Democrats, the bill would have still passed. The bill passed 16-7.

“If you are going to take the life of a child, if you are willing to terminate that life through an abortion, it seems appropriate that you get the best information about the development, the stage of development, heart beat – we are talking about a human being,” said Republican Sen. Curtis Bramble.