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Florida lawmakers are considering legislation to require doctors to perform ultrasounds on women seeking an abortion. We wonder if they have learned anything from the misguided intrusion into the Terri Schiavo case.
The Legislature wants to sacrifice sound medical practice on the altar of political ideology. The bills (HB 257/SB 2400) require an ultrasound -- at any stage of pregnancy -- regardless of medical need or the woman's wishes. Ultrasound technicians would have to narrate the results and ask the patient if she wants to view the screen, whether or not this is medically appropriate.
These bills insert politicians into the doctor-patient relationship by requiring a procedure that may be contrary to the physician's professional judgment. It is a basic principle of medical practice and constitutional rights that patients have the right to make healthcare decisions and to accept or refuse treatment.
Three years after Schiavo, one must ask: Did the Legislature not learn that dictating medical practice is bad policy and bad healthcare?
SUSAN L. DERWIN, director, Reproductive Freedom Project
COURTENAY STRICKLAND, director, public policy, American Civil Liberties Union of Florida, Miami
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