Sonograms Reveal the Human Development that Abortion Facilities Often Deny

Here is the Journal (Wall Street Journal) Community’s online Question of the Day: “Should women who want to get an abortion be required to view a sonogram and hear details of fetal development?”

The AMA’s Code of Medical Ethics states that “The physician’s obligation is to present the medical facts accurately to the patient.” And doctors have a responsibility to provide every one of their patients with the information necessary to make a truly informed decision about the medical procedure they are about to undergo. This is known as informed consent.

Informed consent is very important to the pregnancy help movement.  Women have the right to information about human development and information about the risks that can accompany the different abortion procedures. These are the vital facts that abortion facilities often choose to leave out.

When I elected to undergo a hip replacement, my doctor had to share all of the possible complications and risks, including death. He also put the prosthesis in my hand to make his point. With all this information, it was a very difficult decision. I had to sign a release acknowledging that I had received this important information from my doctor.

Patients often win medical malpractice lawsuits and are awarded million-dollar settlements when doctors fail to properly obtain informed consent.

Women have the right to know that the baby’s heart actually begins beating 3 weeks and 1 day after conception, according to Moore and Persaud's well-known textbook, The Developing Human: Clinically Oriented Embryology.

Women have the right to know that the human being developing inside of the womb has his/her own complete set of DNA and, given a few more months, the baby will be able to survive on his/her own outside of mom’s body as a separate and unique individual.

When a woman sees her baby inside her womb and sees the heart beating, she should see the inestimable value of another human life; however, sometimes she needs reminded of her own dignity and self-worth first.

Every woman should have all the information she needs to make an informed decision about the future of her pregnancy and the future of her family. No woman should feel so alone, coerced, or hopeless that she ends her child’s life through abortion. Pregnancy centers provide information, practical help, and emotional support so each woman can choose life for her baby.

A better question for the Wall Street Journal to ask would be: “Would a woman who could see her baby waving from her womb want to get an abortion if she had someone to help her welcome new life?”

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