NOW President O'Neill: Abortion ultrasound bills are 'ritual humiliation laws'

National Organization of Women president Terry O'Neill said Wednesday that laws requiring women to view an ultrasound before terminating their pregnancy were "ritual humiliation laws."

Lawmakers in Virginia on Wednesday approved a controversial bill requiring women to undergo an ultrasound prior to an abortion. Similar legislation, which requires women to view an ultrasound of the fetus or sign a statement documenting the reasons for her refusal, will soon be considered by the Illinois House of Representatives.

O'Neill said on MSNBC's The Ed Show that the intent of the bills was to "humiliate and shame women."

"In fact, I heard one of the best nicknames for these bills is the ritual humiliation law," she said. "The other part of these bills is intended to drive up the costs dramatically."

Another bill that will soon be considered by the Illinois House would place new building regulations on clinics that perform 50 abortions or more every year. These new "burdensome" regulations, according the the American Civil Liberties Union of Illinois, are meant to force abortion providers to shutter their facilities.

Republicans in state legislatures across the country have pushed for tighter restrictions on abortions, such as requiring ultrasounds before a woman can terminate her pregnancy or mandating a 24-hour waiting period.

Thanks to their electoral victories in 2010, conservatives lawmakers successfully enacted 92 measures aimed at restricting abortion in 2011, according to the Guttmacher Institute.

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