Earlier today Republican Gov. Scott Walker signed into law a bill requiring women who want to get an abortion to undergo an invasive transvaginal ultrasound.

No doubt Gov. Walker chose today to sign the bill into law because he’s hoping folks won’t notice that he signed it, given that it’s a holiday weekend. After all, while a bill requiring women to undergo state-mandated transvaginal ultrasounds prior to an abortion may play well with the anti-choice crowd, I can’t see it playing well with moderates, the vast majority of women, and any who dislikes invasive government.

The law — signed Friday by Walker in a private ceremony — would cut the number of clinics offering abortions in Wisconsin from four to two, and one of the remaining clinics will have to dramatically cut the number of abortions it provides, according to the operators of the clinics. The law is to take effect Monday. “When women don’t have access to safe, legal abortions, there are health consequences and women die,” said Teri Huyck, president and chief executive officer of Planned Parenthood of Wisconsin. Backers of the law, which also requires women seeking abortions to get ultrasounds, said they were not worried about the lawsuit.

What I’m wondering is how Scott Walker and his supporters can reconcile their desire for smaller, less intrusive government will a bill that will mandate the ultimate in government intrusion into citizens’ lives – no to mention their bodies.

UPDATE: Shortly after Gov. Walker signed his anti-choice bill into law, the ACLU of Wisconsin filed a lawsuit challenging the law, citing the fact that the law places medically unnecessary restrictions on abortion providers that would severely restrict women’s access to safe and legal abortion in a state where access is already heavily restricted. There are only four health centers in Wisconsin providing safe and legal abortion services, and two of those centers could be forced to close as a result of Walker’s law.