Supreme Courts rejects appeal of decision overturning NC's mandatory ultrasound abortion law

Justice Antonin Scalia wanted to hear the case but his colleagues said, no.

Justice Antonin Scalia wanted to hear the case but his colleagues said, no.

A North Carolina law that would have forced doctors to show women an ultrasound before they could access an abortion was finally defeated Monday when the Supreme Court declined to hear an appeal of a prior ruling. Greg Stohr reports:

Rejecting the state’s appeal, the justices left intact a federal appeals court ruling that said the measure violated doctors’ speech rights. Justice Antonin Scalia dissented without giving a reason.

Scalia wants to hear the case but gives no rationale. That's a disappointment.

The 2011 law, which never took effect, required an ultrasound presentation even if the woman objected. The measure said women could avert their eyes and refuse to listen.

North Carolina is just one of many states that have passed similar laws.

The Guttmacher Institute says North Carolina is among 23 states, mostly in the South and the Midwest, that passed laws dealing with the administration of ultrasounds by abortion providers.