Tuesday, September 01, 2015

Texas doctor's ultrasound consent form goes viral.

The above letter comes to us via our friends at Boing Boing.

Here is what is says:  

The Texas legislature, in its infinite wisdom, believes that neither you nor I are intelligent enough to carry on a conversation about how you might make an informed decision about how best to handle your current pregnancy. To be sure that they and their ideologues are part of our doctor patient relationship, they have mandated that you be forced to see and hear the ultrasound of your pregnancy, as well as be given a detailed description of the pregnancy's development to this stage. By inserting themselves into our conversation, they have almost certainly violated our first amendment rights to free speech and intruded into the time-honored relationship you and I share at this critical time in our lives. It is, however, the current state law in Texas. 

Most patients seeking a pregnancy termination are already anguished enough with the struggle to find the right answer for their lives and situation, without having others, ignorant of the situation, coerce them under the false guise of "providing more useful information". It has always been my practice to fully inform my patients of everything they need and want to know. As long as I am your physician, I will continue to provide that information and honor the sacred responsibility you've entrusted to me. 

Now that, my friends, is a good doctor!

However Texas is clearly not a good state for women who want to exercise control over their own bodies.

20 comments:

  1. Anonymous4:14 AM

    Oh, the irony. A few years back, when I was pregnant with a very-much-wanted pregnancy and having some alarming complications, I had to beg my insurance company for an ultrasound, and the doctor refused to talk to me about the results. Just "the pregnancy is viable". I would have done anything for a complete description of what was going on in my uterus.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous5:45 AM

      I would have gone to a new doctor.

      Delete
    2. Anonymous7:41 AM

      You go to who your insurance will pay for. I should have said I wanted to abort--then I'd have 20 doctors all up in my business giving me every little detail.

      Delete
    3. Anonymous9:18 AM

      If you can't afford a second ultrasound, you can't afford a kid. Just sayin.

      Delete
    4. Anonymous11:01 AM

      You're really stupid. Just sayin.

      Delete
  2. Anonymous4:29 AM

    Why didn't the Texas medical community face down the state legislators while the bill was pending? Once it's a law, it's a little too late. The US medical community is too concerned with keeping doctors rich and not concerned enough about what illl-educated politicians are doing with their attacks on women's medical care.
    Beaglemom

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous5:45 AM

      They get paid for those ultra sounds.... $$$$$

      Delete
  3. Anonymous4:44 AM

    Pope ok with it :
    http://m.huffpost.com/us/entry/55e5817fe4b0aec9f35462e9

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous6:29 AM

      He's giving permission for the lower rung old dudes in robes to dole out forgiveness. For a whole year! So, all you women consumed with guilt for your sin go get yours while the gettins good! Don't forget to give $$$.
      I had an abortion and have never felt guilt or regret (I felt that and so much more before I made that decision). But if I did feel guilty I would seek forgiveness from myself, not some man in a funny hat who may or not be a pedophile

      Delete
    2. He's given them permission but nothing says they'll do it. I can see some of the old geezers pulling a Kim Davis on their female parishioners.

      And let us not forget it is the church making them feel guilty in the first place.

      Delete
  4. This Doctor is BRILLIANT!

    ReplyDelete
  5. Anonymous5:19 AM

    Great message though it may be lost on "intelligence enough" and "rime-honored". Doctors, hire intelligent staff and proofread!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous5:44 AM

      It appears that the typos occurred in Gryphen's transcription - they're not in the original.

      Delete
    2. Great message though it may be lost …

      Neither of those errors is present in the image of the actual document.

      Delete
    3. Gee sorry, my eyes were tired.

      Fixed now.

      Delete
  6. Last in public health-care spending. They won't even pay us a respectable wage, it's how they squeeze the system into nothingness.

    ReplyDelete
  7. Anonymous7:32 AM

    Wow when I read all the crazy going on in other parts of the USA I'm all in favor of a wall- around New England to keep the crazies out (not sure if we should include NY and exclude ME though)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous8:12 AM

      I live in Kansas. So far no talk here about building a wall around the state to keep us here.

      RJ in BBistaan

      Delete
  8. Anonymous8:23 AM

    The only thing Ben Carson has said that I could agree with was this. There is no war on women but there is one about what is inside of them. (paraphrased)

    Gal's we are going to need to woman up our battle stations. Knees together, we will hold our ground. Screw you? Not!!!







    ReplyDelete
  9. Anonymous9:37 AM

    I doubt that this is an actual document that the patient needs to read and sign. There's no heading, no spot to put the name or date, nothing that suggests it's an official legal document. Even the title: Informed Ultrasound Consent Form. That should be Ultrasound Informed Consent Form. Doctors have been to enough schooling to not make such basic semantic errors. And since it's an OB ultrasound they'd probably throw in the term "prenatal" to distinguish it from the ultrasounds done on kidneys, livers, etc.
    Most likely someone wrote down what a lot of doctors, myself included, would LIKE to say on the legal form, but frankly would destroy some of the gravitas of the informed consent. Now, maybe they're saying that to the patient, or it would make a great cover letter to the form.....
    Please don't take this the wrong way, but the government and insurance companies are sticking their noses into business via sticking their heads up their asses. Hey, does the state of Texas pay for this state-mandated ultrasound or do they make the patient or doctor pay for it?

    ReplyDelete

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