There has been a lot of confusion and even some controversy surrounding the use of ultrasound technology and even more so the use of the pulse Doppler function when serving women seriously considering abortion. The claims of the impact of ultrasound imaging on the development of the baby range from no impact to severe negative impact including autism.
Bottom line, the American Institute of Ultrasound Medicine (AIUM) developed a comprehensive practice guideline for the performance of obstetric ultrasound examinations. These guidelines were developed in conjunction with the American College of Radiology (ACR), the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG), and the Society of Radiologists in Ultrasound (SRU).
The concern is with increased exposure to radiant energy sensitive and developing fetal tissue could be overheated and damaged thereby damaging fetal development. There is no question that ultrasound imaging machines emit focused energy. It is also true that increased exposure to this energy could heat tissues. It is further true that pulse Doppler emits more energy than normal during a typical obstetrical ultrasound imaging session. The question is, “Does that energy exposure measurably heat the fetal tissues to the point of damage?” The short answer is, “No.” For a two page summary of the science, go to the Papers section of this website.
But why is using pulse Doppler important to an effective pregnancy resource center anyway?
- It increases the ability of the PRC’s physician to diagnose early pregnancy when the typical ultrasound image is difficult to acquire.
- It adds another level of information for the abortion-minded patient to consider before she determines the outcome of her pregnancy. Hearing a heartbeat as well as seeing it helps her to further humanize the child adding to a more cautious mindset relative to abortion.
It has been CompassCare’s experience that the routine use of ultrasound with Doppler has significantly improved patient outcomes. This means that the physician can more quickly assess the patient’s condition and the patient is more readily informed. To be clear, CompassCare experienced at least a 5% increase abortion-minded women deciding to have their babies after the use of pulse Doppler was implemented than before.
To download CompassCare’s free white paper entitled “The Use of Pulse Doppler During the Limited Obstetric Ultrasound Exam” simply go to the Papers section of this website and click the title of the document.
All of CompassCare’s documentation is free and available for download. You will just need to register on the site to receive access.
Reversing the abortion trend,
Rev. James R. Harden, M.Div.
President/CEO
Optimize – To become as effective, perfect and useful as possible. Optimize your PRC and become as effective as possible in reaching and serving more abortion minded women in such a way that they choose to have their babies: PRC Optimization Tool
