They allow ear piercings in the mall and no one gets too hyped about it. I've seen moms hoisting their little ones up on the chair so a metal stud can be punched through the earlobe. It's painful and can become infected. As far as an elective medical procedure that is inflicted on a child goes, ear piercing is more traumatic than
a sonogram.
I'm sure that, if there isn't one already, a licensing industry will rise up to train and monitor the ultrasound techs. After all hair dressers are licensed as are the optometry techs and they operate safely in any given mall every day.
Ya' know I had the same opinion about sonograms before my doctor talked to me. Maybe she's too cautious and maybe I'm too ready with the hysterical mother mode but I think there's something to be cautious about when invading the space of a delicate fetus.