To Scan or not to Scan

I'm linking to this new article on The Slate by William Saletan talking about ultrasounds, birth defects and abortion. In the article, he discusses the conundrum facing pro-lifers regarding the increasing sophistication of ultrasound technology. Pro-lifers, particularly through their sham Crisis Pregnancy Centers, have long championed the ultrasound based on the presumption that a woman who sees the fetus on a screen will be less likely to terminate the pregnancy. However, ultrasounds also have the potential to reveal possible birth defects which might lead a woman who wanted to bring the pregnancy to term to consider abortion. Pro-lifers say they want the pregnant woman to have all the information. Does that include information that the child might be born with a fatal condition that would result in a short, painful life?

Moreover, the "improvement" in ultrasound technology has resulted in many more false alarms and false positives that can scare the wits out of expecting mothers. My sister's first ultrasound revealed a cyst in the fetus's brain that was "indicative" of a certain birth defect. After a week of panic (she had already had one miscarriage), the second ultrasound showed that the cyst had disappeared. It is possible that these scans are now showing normal development processes that earlier scans did not.

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