Lawsuit Filed Against New Texas Law Requiring Sonograms Before Abortions

AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — A reproductive rights group has filed a lawsuit against a newly-signed Texas law requiring doctors to conduct a sonogram before performing an abortion.

The Center for Reproductive Rights filed the lawsuit Monday, claiming that the new law violates the First Amendment rights of both the doctor and the patient and discriminates against women. The group says the law forces doctors to deliver "politically motivated communications" to women.

The law, which goes into effect Sept. 1, requires a doctor to describe the fetus' features and allow women to hear the fetal heartbeat. Exemptions are allowed only cases of rape or incest and when the fetus has fatal abnormalities.

Catherine Fraser, a spokeswoman for Gov. Rick Perry, says Perry "believes the sonogram legislation is important to protect unborn life" in Texas.