The Arkansas Democrat-Gazette reported extensively this morning on a deeply split 7-6 vote by the Arkansas Medical Board ratifying a rule required by Arkansas legislation that mandates an ultrasound test by a doctor on a woman seeking an abortion. It also requires a written statement to the patient about the likelihood of a fetus surviving if carried to term.

Think about it:

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Sen. Jason Rapert, sponsor of this bill, and the rest of the Arkansas legislature are dictating the practice of medicine in Arkansas. What’s next? Open heart surgery rules? Here’s an idea. Perhaps we could require doctors to test all patients for unhealthy behavior — smoking, drinking, overeating — and require them to issue written statements to patients about how these behaviors affect their life expectancy. And punish doctors who don’t.

Or is it only women the legislature wants to patronize?

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