Support
Committee: House Health and Government Operations
HB 1161

The Maryland Catholic Conference offers this testimony in SUPPORT of House Bill 1161. The Catholic Conference represents the public policy interests of the three (arch)dioceses serving Maryland: the Archdioceses of Baltimore and Washington and the Diocese of Wilmington, which together encompass over one million Marylanders.

House Bill 1161 would prohibit a physician from performing or inducing an abortion on a pregnant woman within 24 hours after the woman receives certain ultrasound imaging. Giving a woman the ability, if she chooses, to see an ultrasound image, hear the fetal heartbeat, and have time to consider this information, is a needed process for a woman to make an informed decision.

Women deserve to have basic, relevant and medically appropriate information as well as the time to evaluate their options during pregnancy. To deny women the choice of seeing an ultrasound image or hearing a fetal heartbeat would be denying them vital information that they need to make a truly informed decision regarding an abortion. Please give all women the chance to make a truly informed decision based on complete and accurate information.

For these reasons, we urge a favorable report on House Bill 1161.