To the editor:

I have just received a notice from Sen. Jim Davis that the N.C. Senate passed a bill requiring women who are considering an abortion to have an ultrasound.  

I would be more impressed if the Republicans who voted for that kind of control over women in this state exercised the same kind of concern for the babies once they are born.  The cuts to support for the poor in North Carolina will result in many more families struggling to care for another child. These cuts will also affect the health, education and well-being of many North Carolina’s children now and in the future.

How can senate Republicans claim this is a victory for women when it only adds additional requirements to an already difficult and emotional decision? Additionally, it could lead to more unsafe abortions, which could put even more women at risk.

It seems interesting that the Republican party claims to be the party of individual choice, but wants to control people’s most personal decisions...who to marry and if and when to give birth.

By the way, who is on the hook for these ultrasounds... the woman who doesn’t want it or the taxpayers?

Nancy Scott

Franklin