Thursday, May 17, 2007

Ultrasound bill passes Senate

H. 3355 passed the Senate on Thursday, May 17. My original bill required the review of the ultrasound, which in my opinion, did not force the review. After several wrangling over language, the bill was amended with new language. click here to see the full text
the Senate version:
-requires physician to describe the ultrasound procedure and inform the patient she has the right to view it
-at her request, the patient is allowed to view the ultrasound images
-if the ultrasound is chosen, the physician is required to give her a medical description of the images which must include the dimensions of the child and presence of external members and internal organs
-the patient must be given a list of healthcare providers that offer free ultrasounds (mostly crisis care centers)