Option Ultrasound?

I was listening to a radio interview by the infamous Dr. Dobson with a woman involved in creating and promoting Focus on the Family's "Option Ultrasound" program, which is increasingly employed by pregnancy resource centers to discourage women from choosing abortion. The idea is that if women see the fetus, they'll be less inclined to terminate the pregnancy. According to the program's website, 79% of PRC clients decide to carry their pregnancy to term after viewing the ultrasound. I have more questions than answers about this, and would like to hear what my readers have to say.

On one hand, abortion is a serious decision, and perhaps ultrasounds help women more fully understand their pregnancy while making their choice. On the other hand, is this a form of emotional blackmail? A woman may feel warm and fuzzy at the point of the ultrasound, but that feeling is not going to support her through the pregnancy, is not going to erase poverty, abuse, rape, or health concerns that may cause a woman to choose abortion. It's not going to help her finish high school. It's not going to be accompanied by information on all of her options, but is going to be used as part of a campaign to get her to have a baby. Is coercion with no intent to fully inform an ethical use of medical technology?

I only found two articles in medical journals on this topic. One is an editorial in the Journal of Medical Ethics titled "The Role of Medical Imaging in the Abortion Debate" [30(5): 426] - the full text of this is available for free online. In this editorial, the author takes on the notion that a fetus viewed through ultrasound can be seen to smile. The second piece, from the Journal of Medical Humanities, is titled, "Ultrasound: A Window to the Womb?: Obstetric Ultrasound and the Abortion Rights Debate" [25(1): 7-19, abstract only].

So, what say you?

Technorati Tags: abortion; ethics; ultrasound
MeSH Tags: Abortion, Induced; Ethics; Ultrasonography/ethics