[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 153 (2007), Part 2]
[House]
[Pages 1934-1935]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                   THE INFORMED CHOICE ACT, H.R. 223

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the order of the House of 
January 4, 2007, the gentleman from Florida (Mr. Stearns) is recognized 
during morning hour debates for 5 minutes.
  Mr. STEARNS. Mr. Speaker, yesterday there was a pro-life rally here 
in Washington, DC. In fact, the 22nd annual rally. I thought I would 
take a moment and talk about some of the innovations involved with 
ultrasound equipment which is very beneficial for women who are 
pregnant who wish to look at the fetus.
  Recently, my colleagues, National Geographic presented a 2-hour 
program charting the fetal development of several mammals with the use 
of new generation ultrasound imagery. Physicians created a stunning 
portrait of a mammal in utero, but just imagine the reaction of parents 
today when viewing a 3-D fetal snapshot of their unborn son or daughter 
smiling back at them.
  Professor Stuart Campbell, one of the world's leading experts in 
obstetrics, believes that ever improving imagery, particularly moving 
from 3-D to 4-D scanning, which are inching closer and closer to 
actually displaying real-time movements, represents the tip of the 
iceberg for fetal behavior study.
  As with these amazing images, ultrasound technology provides parents-
to-be with a window into the womb which can result in a stronger 
parent-child bond, better prenatal treatment and also supply doctors 
with obviously an advanced understanding of fetal development and 
behavior.
  Today's ultrasound equipment is better than ever and the technology 
will improve even better over time. Such images allow physicians to 
readily identify critical health problems such as spina bifida, heart 
complications, neural tube defects, and genetic syndromes. Ultrasound 
imagery brings many benefits to women, their unborn children and, of 
course, to our health care system in general. Continued research, 
breakthrough developments, and preventative care could save millions of 
dollars.
  Public health advocates know that access to early, high-quality 
prenatal care is key to maternal and newborn health. Therefore, this 
prenatal care should include ultrasound equipment. Sonograms can 
diagnose serious complications that can be easily avoided if discovered 
early on during a pregnancy. Four-dimensional imaging shows objects in 
3-D moving close to real time. Doctors have long known that fetuses 
move, but the physical behavior revealed by these scans is expanding 
upon their knowledge exponentially. The possibilities of improving the 
health of women and their unborn children are endless.
  Mr. Speaker, these advanced ultrasound images can give women an 
opportunity for better prenatal health and decrease risks during 
pregnancy not only for themselves but obviously for their unborn child. 
Unfortunately, there are a lot of women today that cannot afford access 
to this critical medical service. These underprivileged women do not 
have the option of safeguarding their health and prenatal well-being. 
Therefore, I have introduced the Informed Choice Act, H.R. 223. This 
legislation authorizes Health and Human Services to establish simple 
grants for not-for-profit and community-based health clinics to 
purchase ultrasound equipment. The centers that purchase these machines 
will be able to provide free examinations to women who are unable to 
obtain access to this critical care. That is, women that are poor. Each 
year, these pregnancy centers serve hundreds of thousands of women, 
ranging from girls barely in their teens to women in their

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mid to late thirties. Many of these women are among the poorest of the 
poor. For them, the free care that they receive is an essential 
lifeline. Access to ultrasound equipment is clearly one of the best 
things that this Congress can do to promote women's health and prenatal 
care.
  Women understand the importance of ultrasound equipment. A recent 
poll confirms this. In order to provide women in crisis pregnancies 
with sufficient prenatal care and the full scope of information about 
their pregnancy, I urge my colleagues today to cosponsor my 
legislation. It is clear that these women view ultrasounds as an 
essential resource, a resource for women who are faced with unplanned 
pregnancies struggling with that prime decision. Additionally, the 
Focus on the Family organization found that an overwhelming 84 percent 
of women surveyed decide against abortion after viewing an ultrasound 
of their unborn baby.
  Women have a right to know what is going on during their pregnancy. 
These ultrasound images, specifically with the 3-D and 4-D technology, 
depict fetuses beyond 24 weeks sucking their thumbs, sticking their 
tongues out and even making emotional faces.
  So again, my colleagues, I urge you to join me in protecting the 
health of women and their unborn children by cosponsoring the Informed 
Choice Act, H.R. 223. This bill is about giving vulnerable women the 
information they need about their pregnancy and making this critical 
technology available to all Americans.

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