As physicians, we believe that a medical test should only be performed when its outcome is likely to influence treatment. This generally applies to tests that shed light on the presence, extent or nature of disease. Since pregnancy is not a disease, but a normal stage of human life, some question the ethical acceptability of the use of ultrasound to show a pregnant mother her baby. Canadian Physicians for Life's position is that although non-diagnostic ultrasound is not intended to investigate a disease, it is very likely to influence the plan of treatment for the good of both mother and child, and thus warrants the very slight risk involved.
When viewing the result of a test is likely to influence the woman's decision to undergo a medical procedure, allowing her to do so is a necessary step in obtaining informed consent. Therefore, even when an ultrasound is carried out as part of a pre-abortion workup, the patient should be offered the opportunity to view both the image so produced and an interpretation of it.
