Posted on 09/26/2002 12:28:41 AM PDT by nickcarraway
Michelle Tooms, a pregnant mother from Mansfield, Texas, looked at the new "real-time 4D" ultrasound of her womb and was amazed at what she saw. The image on the screen had such clarity that it seemed like a high-quality photograph. "I even think I saw the baby smile. The images made me feel close to her," she marveled.
While the creative minds behind a new type of ultrasound technology may not have intended it to aid the pro-life movement, one well-known Christian columnist believes it will do exactly that.
Cal Thomas, syndicated columnist, pointed out in a recent World magazine article that General Electric, creator of the 4D ultrasound device, highlights the medical benefits to be derived from the machine's existence. Doctors will be able to see a developing child more clearly, enabling them to better diagnose potential problems.
Thomas adds that GE publicity does not suggest the Ultrasound 4D be used in the war against abortion. Yet it is his contention that "it will be and should be." Referring to a TV commercial that shows the face of a woman reacting to seeing her baby for the first time, Thomas says, "If this scene doesn't touch you in the deepest recesses of your heart, the device could determine whether you have a heart."
He observes that the sophisticated new creation has great potential for impacting the choice made by women who are contemplating abortion. "Everyone who sees such a picture will find it extremely difficult to regard the image as anything but that of a baby: not a ‘fetus,' not a ‘product of conception,' not disembodied tissue," Thomas asserts. "The hands move. So does the head.
"In an age when federal law mandates labels on cans, bottles, and cars and truth-in-lending information at banks, why should women be denied information when it comes to a far more important choice about another human life?" he asks. "Few people regret choosing one car over another, or a can of string beans over a can of corn. But many women with whom I've spoken profoundly regret deciding to have an abortion ...."
Clinics and pregnancy help centers that offer abortion alternatives across the country are thrilled with the new device. Tim Wiesner, executive director of Choices Medical Clinic in Wichita, Kansas, says GE recently demonstrated the machine at their clinic.
"We had a number of women at all stages of pregnancy, and you should've heard all the ‘ooohs' and ‘aaahs' from everyone in that room. It was incredible, like being the first person to look inside King Tut's tomb as we observed something lying in its natural state that nobody's ever seen [this clearly] before." Wiesner says although the unit is expensive, the clinic will be making a purchase, and hopefully having the device available for use early this month.
Thomas asserts that every pregnancy help center in the country should have the device, and it should be required by law that every woman seeking an abortion look at her child on the screen.
Say, anyone know if this is the same guy in Shallenberger's campaign??
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