Ultrasound Declaration Of Independence

The Declaration of Independence states that all men “are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness”. What is strange is that this was the first time in history anyone had bothered to write these words down. What is not strange is that among those rights granted to us, the founders placed life first. The founders were deeply religious men, and they understood the sanctity of human life. The founders also understood the delicate balance that would be required between compelling government interests and individual liberties. This paper will look at some of the factors that are upsetting that balance, with respect to the issue of the sanctity of human life, and the

“Three interrelated elements underlie the long-standing tradition of informed consent: Patients must possess the capacity to make decisions about their care; their participation in these decisions must be voluntary; and they must be provided adequate and appropriate information”. The use of ultrasound to provide fetal images was first published in 1958. Ultrasound has continually become more common, with up to 99% of women receiving at least one scan during their pregnancy. Currently, three states require that all women seeking an abortion undergo an ultrasound, and that they are given a choice to view the image. Two other states require this at the start of the second trimester. Nine other states require ultrasounds only if medically needed, but once an ultrasound is performed, the woman must be offered a chance to view the image. New technology, the 4D ultrasound scanner, can now show expectant mothers images of their baby moving in utero. The scanner takes multiple two-dimensional ultrasound images, creates a three-dimensional image, and then adds the element of time. Some states are considering measures that would require women to view these 4D images prior to obtaining an abortion. Opponents say this places an undue burden on the woman. “It has been speculated that ultrasound viewing will dissuade women from having an abortion.” However, a recent study shows that is not true. Analysis of data from a large urban abortion provider shows that when 15,575 patients seeking an abortion were given the option to view ultrasound images, 42.5% opted to do so. Those that opted to see the images terminated their pregnancy 98.4% of the time, those that chose not to, 99% of the