Pennsylvania gov. to women: Just 'close your eyes' during forced ultrasound

Gov. Tom Corbett (R) says he supports forcing women to have an ultrasound before an abortion because they can just close their eyes.

Guttmacher Institute policy analyst Elizabeth Nash told Raw Story last month that Pennsylvania's proposed measure is one of the most restrictive anti-abortion bills that she had ever seen.

In addition to mandating transvaginal ultrasounds, the bill encourages women to listen to the procedure and view images of the fetus.

At a press conference earlier this week, Corbett said he supported the proposal as long as the ultrasound was not "obtrusive."

"Making them watch, does that go too far in your mind?" one reporter asked.

"I don't know how you make anybody watch," Corbett replied. "You just have to close your eyes. But as long as it's on the exterior and not the interior."

The Pennsylvania governor was also pressed on whether Republican lawmakers were "overreaching" on social issues like the anti-abortion bill, voter ID requirements and a same sex marriage ban.

"The legislature is going to do what the legislature wants to do," Corbett explained. "I'm certainly not going to prevent them from having their debates or try to prevent them from having their debates. And that's the purpose of a legislature."

"It has been clear to me for a long time that we have an independent-minded center of the electorate that will move back and forth between the two ends of the spectrum," he added. "We won't know that result of that until we get to November."

On Wednesday, Corbett's signature made Pennsylvania the first state in 2012 to enact a law requiring an ID to vote.

Watch this video from Pennsylvania Independent, uploaded March 13, 2012.

(H/T: Think Progress)