After Slow Start, Pro-Lifers Making Gains in State Legislatures.

With 50 state legislatures meeting at different times and for various lengths of time, it's sometimes hard to see the "Big Picture."

Pro-lifers knew going into the 2007 legislative cycle that it could well be tougher than in years past. After all, a number of pro-life Republicans were defeated last November, caught in a wave of voter resentment over unrelated issues.

And early in 2007, progress was limited. In some states, it appeared as if legislators were catching their breaths after intense battles the year before.

But according to NRLC State Legislative Director Mary Spaulding Balch, events came into perspective in March. Not only are pro-lifers now taking steps forward in traditional areas, they are making important strides forward in a relatively new arena: the use of ultrasounds.

"You know it must be a very powerful tool because pro-abortionists are running scared," Balch told NRL News. "They offer a barrage of rationalizations, but the bottom line is they are petrified that women will change their minds after seeing their babies."

In nine states, the proposed legislation would require that if an abortionist uses ultrasound to draw a bead on the unborn child, he must offer the woman a chance to see her baby. In South Carolina, where the bill has already passed the state House, the abortionist would be required to show the woman an ultrasound and the woman would sign a form saying she had seen the ultrasound image.

"Incredibly, the law has been described as "sexist' and 'imposing a burden' on pregnant women," Balch said. "The same people who scream that women must always be told 'all their options,' including abortion, balk at allowing women to see whom it is whose life they are about to take."