INDIANAPOLIS | A woman seeking a pill-induced abortion may be compelled to undergo only one ultrasound, instead of two, following a change made Monday to pending legislation by the Indiana Senate.
The Republican-controlled body amended Senate Bill 371 by voice vote to eliminate a specific requirement that a doctor use ultrasound imaging to verify a successfully completed abortion.
Instead, the doctor would be allowed to use a blood or urine test to confirm a terminated pregnancy.
"It gives the choice to the doctor to confirm the termination and he can do that or she can do that in any way that he or she was trained to," said state Sen. Ron Alting, R-Lafayette.
Under the legislation, a pregnant woman would still undergo an ultrasound to determine the gestational age of the fetus before being administered an abortion-inducing pill.
Typically, an ultrasound probe is inserted several inches into the vagina to image the uterus.
The measure also requires clinics that dispense abortion pills to meet the same equipment and facility standards as clinics that perform surgical abortions.
A proposal to require all pregnancy, fertility and erectile dysfunction clinics meet that same standard was rejected by the Senate.
Senators also voted down a proposed amendment that would have more strictly regulated erectile dysfunction drugs and required a prostate exam prior to a prescription being issued for an erectile dysfunction drug.
A Senate vote to send the amended legislation to the House is expected Tuesday.
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