On Wednesday, September 28, 2011, Prof. Teresa Collett (St. Thomas) visited Raleigh for a debate with NC State Rep. Deborah Ross on the topic: "Pre-Abortion Ultrasound: Informed Consent or Unconstitutional Coercion?" The debate was hosted by Campbell Law School's Federalist Society. Collett pointed initially to the fact that 90% of medical providers already perform pre-abortion ultrasounds, and went on to argue that under relevant law, including Planned Parenthood v. Casey, 505 U.S. 833 (1992), the North Carolina Woman's Right to Know Act, which requires a 24 hour waiting period and an ultrasound procedure four hours prior to any abortion performed in the State, does not place an undue burden on those seeking abortions. In response, Rep. Ross maintained that the law penalizes abortion providers with an inflexible checklist regardless of patient circumstances, along with creating a potential legal action against providers on the part of patients, parents of patients, or even fathers, regardless of any potential incest, rape or other abusive relationship. Only hours later, the ACLU and others filed a lawsuit to prevent the act from taking effect.
