Ready for a rumble? This morning’s debate on the ultrasound-before-abortion bill authored by Rep. Sid Miller, R-Stephenville, promises to be, err, interesting.
Find background on the ultrasound issue here.
This morning, the Texas Association of Obstetricians and Gynecologists held a press conference to express their concerns about the bill – including the fact that requiring a doctor to make audible a fetal heartbeat for a woman requires them to dial up the ultrasound setting, which could potentially be damaging to a fetus. Providing for an audible heartbeat means doctors will have to bring up the ultrasound setting to “doppler,” said Dr. Matt Romberg. “The potential here is that we’re increasing the temperature of the fetal tissue in order to make the heartbeat audible…and simultaneously increasing the risk to the patient.”
Not that lawmakers are likely to let this sort of medical concern get in the way of passing the bill.
Log on to watch the debate on the House floor, here.
This article appears in February 25 • 2011.