Do you honestly believe women are too stupid to know that they're pregnant with an unborn baby? What purpose would forcing them to view an ultrasound serve besides emotionally blackmailing them? Do you believe these women think they're having a paperclip or a convertible removed from their uterus?

They give ultrasounds anyhow to determine how far along a woman is before an abortion. Honestly I don't see how a fuzzy, obscure black and white image could be expected to change a woman's mind but as free-thinking human beings it's an insult to try and force us to look at it. What do you suggest they do, tape her eyelids open?

On a side note, why do people "ooh" and "aah" over ultrasound pictures? You could show them an ultrasound of a kidney and most wouldn't know the difference.

An ultrasound can be a beautiful thing... for a wanted pregnancy. For an unwanted pregnancy it can be anything from annoying to traumatizing. Some women decide to terminate, not because they don't want a child, but because they're not in a position to bring one into the world. Abortion isn't always a "get this thing out of me" decision - for some women, it's heartbreaking. The very idea that people think these women should be patronized and punished makes me nauseated.

Those are good points. Women who are happy and excited about their pregnancies see ultrasounds through different eyes and I imagine that love makes the imagination flesh out what looks to others like a shapeless blob of static.

I stopped humoring friends a while ago over it, though. I congratulate them but I might as well be hugging and kissing my tv when the reception goes out if I pretend to think someone's ultrasound is as irresistibly adorable as a basket of kittens. It just seems dishonest to me. In fact, one of my friends performed a social experiment by showing people an older ultrasound of a uterine tumor she had removed. She said it was her baby. Everyone enthusiastically told her how precious and cute it was, thus confirming that people generally can't make out what they're looking at unless told and they treat it like a darling, giggling toddler to humor the excited parents.

I don't agree it's necessary to force them to look at but you will look at regardless The monitor is right there beside you when they perform the transvaginal ultrasound,so you will look at it forced or not.

What I couldn't imagine is going to that kind of ultrasound to say you are going to rid of it and then years later go through the same ultrasound and then think it is magical what you see in the monitor (which is what happens with a wanted pregnancy. Must be weird.

The people did say what they should as they thought it was her baby. How many times I have said "cute" to born babies that are in reality ugly. You have to be polite. If the parents are excited then let's keep them excited. That's being nice.

Btw where is Birch? Haven't read her in a while. She is my favorite pro-choicer.

If women should be forced to look at ultrasounds before they are allowed to have an abortion, then they should also be forced to watch clips on childbirth complications so that they're fully aware of the risks they'll take if they choose to gestate to term and give birth.

If you must treat us like buffoons then make sure you do it evenly. If we females are indeed too stupid to know what's inside of us if/when we choose to abort an unwanted pregnancy, then logically we must also be too stupid to know what we're getting ourselves into with gestation and birth.

Fair is fair. Show all the women that want to carry to term clips of birthing complications and maternal death. After all, we aren't capable of making our own reproductive choices without someone influencing us, are we?

Actually, you are not going to look if you DON'T WANT to. No one forces your eyes open or forces them to face the screen. And I don't think it is weird at all to get an ultrasound to determine how far along you are for abortion purposes and then years later to see the VERY WANTED fetus you now have growing in you. The difference is wanting and not wanting. Simple.

What would you see on an ultrasound at 9 weeks gestation? Since the vast majority of elective abortions are carried out before the end of the first trimester.

At nine weeks you actually see a lot. I still have mine here and I see head, arm, leg, umbilical cord and the eye dot.

Laughing ......

Okay a 9 week old doesn't even remotely look like a baby, god you guys are cracking me up.....

and a picture from a pregnancy site
http://pregnancy.about.com/od/fetus/a/9wee kultrasound.htm

Their is a difference between a wanted and unwanted pregnancy...

When you look at a ultrasound for a unwanted pregnancy it looks like shyte.
When you look at a ultrasound of a wanted pregnancy it looks like whatever you want to call it baby, alien etc etc

A nine week fetus has a body, head, face, arms, and legs. Ultrasounds don't show much even for late term. Try looking at pictures, 4D ultrasounds, or drawings.

What do you think a nine week fetus looks like?

NU when I was 32 weeks preggo with a regular US you could see it pretty clear, with a 4d it was sligtly a better picture but they aren't off by much you just get more detail.

So it looks just like any sort of mammal-type fetus? I am sure that, as others have pointed out, this would make you all gooey and sentimental if it is a wanted pregnancy, and if it isn't, remind you that you need to stop at the pet store for some mice for your pet snake, or that you hadn't defrosted any prawns for your dinner yet.

The bigger the baby, the more you will see. Of course, when the baby is so small, an ultrasound will not show DETAIL. Ultrasounds aren't perfect. A nine week fetus is not a blob. Blobs don't have bodies, heads, arms and legs. I don't go by ultrasounds to see what a fetus at the stage looks like. I go by pictures or drawings.

I think it could help women who aren't 100% sure if they want to go through with it or not. Like the young girls/women who are dragged there by their boyfriends, or the girls/women who are brought by their parents. That's who I am talking about.

If someone wants to abort, regardless, an ultrasound shouldn't mean anything, should it? If an ultrasound mentally screws with someone, then I suggest they rethink the actions they are about to take.

If we must show the the possibility of death or health problems from birth, then we should show the problems that could happen with abortion.

But there is currently no requirement anywhere to inform pregnant women, or those considering becoming pregnant, of the realities of pregnancy and childbirth, is there? I have certainly never heard of anywhere that requires your doctor to say, "You know this is dangerous. Are you sure you want to go through with this?"

But they should.

Full-term pregnancy and childbirth are far more damaging to the female body than any early-stage abortion. Really, sex education classes should provide complete information about the effects of pregnancy and childbirth -- that might prove to be a useful aid to encouraging better adherence to contraception.

I agree with you fully on describing the negative effects on childbirth. But I feel they should do the same for abortion, and various birth control methods.

I saw my mother go through hell giving birth to my siblings, but I have also seen women go through hell after an abortion as well. As far as I know, it isn't required to tell women about the negative effects of abortion either.

But it should be.

They equally need to be taught about, especially the negative effects. I also agree with you that describing these consequences for both childbirth, and abortion, might be a form of birth control.

It's kind of like, showing videos of car accidents for teens learning to drive.