Focus on the Family buying 4.2 mil. worth of Sonogram machines

[donsu]

no shit

this is from an article at the NYT, I don't reg., so I only know the news blurb

but it said F on F has OKed 4.2 mil for Sonogram machines as part of church financed counseling.


I'm too angry to speak civilly, give me a moment

[Jo March]

1. Let me guess why

Hmmmm...

Wait, wait. I'll understand clearly in a moment as soon as the rage passes.

[killbotfactory]

2. Save the blastocysts!

Why won't anyone think of the blastocysts?!?!

[ewagner]

3. Do I understand this correctly?

The sonogram machines are to be used in pregnancy counseling?.....

Is there no restriction on the advice, information or whatever provided as a result of the use of those machines? Is this practicing medicine without a license?

This may not be "over-the-line" but it's tiptoeing right up to it.....

[DebinTx]

6. Don't they have to be performed by a doctor?

Mine always were because there is a risk of spontaneous abortion.

[yellowcanine]

14. Yes they do - it is a medical procedure and thus should ONLY be used

for a medical reason. And I don't think anti-abortion crusading qualifies.

On edit - I belive it is a procedure performed by a technician under the supervision of a doctor (A doctor would have to order the procedure and he would have to have a medical reason for doing so).

[JHB]

15. How ironic....

FoF will likely wind up preventing abortions by women who do want them only to start causing abortions in women who DON'T.

[Tess49]

11. The FDA will be concerned (or should be)

These are medical devices. The FDA has recently cracked down on businesses that perform sonograms for fun i.e cute names like Womb with a View. They are insisting that these places have trained, even registered technicians. They should jump all over this news. We should make certain that the FDA knows about it. In order to be in compliance F on the F will have to hire technicians. We don't come cheap.

[cindyw]

4. If someone goes to a church for counseling on the matter, what is the

problem? I need more details on what exactly they intend to do with them.

[DebinTx]

9. The catch is that when a woman hears the heartbeat

they're more likely to decide against abortion.

[cindyw]

12. What's wrong with that?

Let me be clear that I think if they convince a woman not to have an abortion in they have an obligation to support that woman's pregnancy and parenthood.

[yellowcanine]

16. What's wrong is it is a medical procedure and thus should not be used as

strictly for religious purposes.

[HockeyMom]

22. They won't

hear a heartbeat BEFORE a certain stage. Certainly, NOT at 6 weeks (4 weeks gestation).

I suppose these fanatic proBIRTH people probably think blastoplasts, zygotes, embyros have heads, little feet and arms, etc.

[MountainLaurel]

17. They're not in churches

These are "crisis pregnancy centers" masquerading as healthcare facilities. Check out the Choice forum to get some detail on how these places operate.

[LibertyLover]

20. Sonagram machines

What FoF intends to do is put the machines in anti-choice "crisis pregnancy clinics". When a woman comes in, worried that she is pregnant and thinking about terminating it, they will do a sonagram on her, showinf the head, hands, feet, etc. as well as amplifying the heartbeat so that the woman sees the fetus as a baby and will hopefully not terminate the pregnancy. From some of the articles I've read, it's a very effective tool.

I have no problem with honest counseling that presents all the options and offers real solutions. But from what I can see, many of the fundy crisis pregnancy centers offer minimal help. One poor woman I've read about said that she was promised help with food and clothing if she did not terminate the pregnancy. She agreed - the food help turned out to be an application for food stamps and the clothing was pretty useless - things like size 4 jeans (not maternity either).

[Tess49]

5. Who will operate these machines?

I do ultrasound for a living. I have a Bachelor of Science in this field. This is not like operating a VCR or something.

[Sgent]

7. Even worse

Sonogram has a very, very small risk to it.

I certainly hope that they are only performing it on a physicians order (or it would be illegal in my state), and are using the results in a medically useful way.

Doing medical tests on someone for a political statement violates every ethics idea I can can concieve.

[killbotfactory]

10. They won't really perform them...

They'll just pop in a tape of a sonogram from a third-trimester baby.

"Look, a miricle from God! Aborting it would be murder, plain and simple!"

"Wow, I just had sex for the first time two days ago! I didn't know it happened so quickly! I'll never have an abortion!"

"Life begins at conception. Pass it on."

[killbotfactory]

8. They'll probably just hook the monitor up to a VCR

And pretend they are doing one.

[realFedUp]

13. To see the ones they want to sell?

These people are in the big money adoption game...
You'd think it would be easier and cheaper just
to hand out birth control and do vasectomies
but these people have another agenda and it's
profitable.

[donsu]

18. you got it

nt

[realFedUp]

19. There are so many orphans from tsunami...

but these people want to just sell the
new white babies to the highest bidder.

There should be an investigation.

[LibertyLover]

21. Tsunami Orphans

As an adoptive parent of a daughter from China, I agree with you, but governments in the area affected by the tsumani have either forbidden or severely restricted overseas adoptions of children because they are still hoping that parents or relatives of some of the children will be found. I waited years for my daughter and if these fundys want to put their money where their alleged faith is, they too could wait and adopt a tsumani orphan and make a difference.

[Bridget Burke]

23. Many people lost their children in the tsunami.

They should have first chance at adopting the orphans. And the kids who lost their families don't need to lose their cultures & be shipped overseas.

There are plenty of children in the USA who need homes--let the anti-abortionists adopt them.