On Tuesday, an Oklahoma judge overturned a state law requiring women to obtain an ultrasound and a description of the fetus from a doctor before getting an abortion. Unfortunately, just a day later, the OK Attorney General confirmed that the state will file an appeal in an attempt to reinstate these unnecessary regulations. From the Washington Post:

Arizona and Florida require ultrasounds for abortions after the first trimester; Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama mandate ultrasounds for first-trimester abortions. The Guttmacher Institute says that because an ultrasound is not considered medically necessary in the first trimester, when nearly 90 percent of abortions occur, it views such laws as "a veiled attempt to personify the fetus and dissuade a woman from obtaining an abortion."

Once again, the historic Planned Parenthood v. Casey ruling is ignored. In 1992, the Supreme Court determined that abortion restrictions are allowed as long as they do not impose an "undue burden" on women, or a "substantial obstacle in the path of a woman seeking an abortion." Requiring an ultrasound and a description of the fetus is not medically necessary in most cases, and therefore these restrictions exist only to dissuade women from having abortions in order to perpetuate the anti-choice agenda.

The intentions of these regulations are clear as day, and I sincerely hope that they continue to be struck down by the state for the sake of Oklahoma women.