The Controversial Role Ultrasound Technicians Play
Friday, July 30th, 2010
Ultrasound technicians play a vital role in fetus development and keep new parents updated on the progress their new baby is making throughout the pregnancy. However, recently, several states have passed bills that now require ultrasound technicians to give sonograms to expectant mothers who are trying to have an abortion within the first trimester. Abortion is a controversial subject alone, but adding this type of requirement that seemingly infringes on our constitutional rights is another subject altogether. Ultrasounds are an essential part of fetus growth, and viewing your ultrasound for the first time is supposed to be one of the best experiences of your pregnancy. However, incorporating this into the procedure to get an abortion is a different experience all together which seems like a technique to force women to view their baby beforehand. While there are many viewpoints on this controversial subject, ultrasound technicians have been thrown into the middle of the debate and now appear to be the bad guys in all of this.
Ultrasound technicians have been thrust into the spotlight because they have a large role in these new reforms that have taken place. The Supreme Court seems unwilling to declare this unconstitutional, so ultrasound technicians have to participate in one of the most controversial procedures of medical history. However, most technicians are able to get past this and concentrate on the more rewarding parts of their career – like showing parents the first images of their child, detecting early breast tumors, and determining if there is anything severely wrong with a new baby. Additionally, for those ultrasound technicians who do not want to play this controversial role, only a few states have so far approved this bill and they can simply move to a different state.
Ultrasounds should not have to be as controversial as politics have made them, but should remain as medically sound as they have always been, and should continue to bring joy to people’s faces – not uncertainty and fear. Ultrasound technicians did not ask to be included in the abortion debate and should not be made to be a part of something that is so outside of their typical career. Regardless, ultrasound technicians continue to serve a vital role within our community, and hopefully the controversies they are in the middle of will begin to die down with the coming years.
