Requiring women to view ultrasound images of their unborn children, requesting they listen to the sound of their children's heartbeats, and even bribing them to not have abortions are all ways Republican lawmakers nationwide have attempted to make having an abortion even more painful for women. Abortion will likely forever remain a heated debate, and the recent appointment of more conservative justices to the U.S. Supreme Court has only made matters worse. Many Americans believe it's only a matter of time before Roe v. Wade — the 1973 Supreme Court case which ruled prohibiting abortions is unconstitutional on the grounds that it is a violation of a woman's 14th Amendment rights — is overturned. If the law is reversed, it will be up to the individual states to decide whether abortion should remain legal. The law's future is certainly something to keep an eye on, as are the ways politicians are trying to sidestep the law and infringe further and further on women's rights. Most notable is the case in South Carolina where, according to MSNBC.com, the Legislature passed a bill requiring women to view sonograms of their children before proceeding with an abortion. The proposal passed in the legislature with a 91-23 vote, and the governor is expected to sign it in coming days. The legislation would make South Carolina the only state to require a woman to view an image of her fetus. Other states, including Michigan, already mandate that women who want abortions be asked if they would like to see a sonogram. And just when you thought it couldn't get any worse, Sen. Dan Patrick, R-Texas, proposed legislation that would offer pregnant women $500 to abstain from having abortions. The money, he argues, would help women realize that putting the child up for adoption is another viable option. Mississippi Gov. Haley Barbour has also chimed in. According to The Associated Press, the Republican signed a bill just last week, which, if and when Roe v. Wade is overturned, would immediately make abortion illegal in Mississippi. It is obvious that these politicians are trying to make the inherently difficult abortion process even worse. But the justifications they use are even more alarming than the methods themselves. A state representative in South Carolina said he thought requiring women to see their babies before they are aborted would save "a lifetime of regret," as if these women would not have enough emotional distress as it was. Other politicians have had the audacity to presume that many women just don't understand what they are doing when they have abortions, as if to suggest that women who have abortions are often too stupid to really think through the decision. If you're offended, I don't blame you. Anti-abortionists and pro-life advocates are not, unfortunately, a dying breed. As long as abortion is legal, they will be arguing it shouldn't be. They will continue to rally support for stunts like those in South Carolina and Texas. But whether they agree with the procedure or not, the fact of the matter is that for now, abortion in the United States is legal. Putting women through hoops and trying to convince them to change their minds about such a serious and personal decision is wrong. And lawmakers who claim that most women are uninformed about abortion consequences are insulting. They imply that the decision to have an abortion is often made on a whim. While I agree providing women with more information about their options is better, forcing women to view photos of their unborn children is indecent and oversteps the legitimate bounds of government authority. A women's right to her own body is just that — her right. Emily Friedman ([email protected]) is a senior majoring in journalism and legal studies.