Attorney
General Abbott Obtains Agreements With
Four Keepsake
Ultrasound Imaging Companies
Sonograms
prohibited unless conducted with physicians oversight
AUSTIN
- Texas Attorney General Greg Abbott today
announced agreements with
four
ultrasound imaging companies – three in the Dallas area and one in
Austin – not
to
operate ultrasound equipment unless they have physician oversight, as
required by
law.
The companies had been offering fetal sonograms in storefront settings
to
pregnant
women as keepsake photos and videos, often referred to as “ultrasounds
for
fun.”
“Ultrasound
equipment is an amazing technological tool that, in properly trained
hands,
can offer significant benefits for the health of unborn babies and
their mothers,
as
well as giving us a window into the wonder and preciousness of human
life,”
Attorney
General Abbott said. “But like other medical equipment and devices,
ultrasound
machines are not toys and must be used only with physician oversight
and
approval.
I am pleased these businesses have agreed to comply with Texas law.”
The
companies that agreed to meet Texas Health and Safety Code
requirements for
licensed
physician involvement in the use of ultrasound equipment are:
Fetal
Fotos of Frisco, near Dallas
Womb
With A View of Arlington
First
Look Sonogram of Plano
Clearview
Ultrasound Center of Austin
Under
state and federal law, prescription ultrasound imaging devices such as
those
used
by these operators must be used only under the supervision and order
of a
physician,
who would in turn approve sonograms only for medical and diagnostic
purposes,
not for keepsake purposes. The operators also did not inform their
clients
that
prescriptions are required before the devices may be used, another
violation of
the
Texas Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act.
The
businesses also must refrain from violating the Texas Deceptive Trade
Practices
Act
and federal law by misleading clients and advertising their services
as having
entertainment
value without the need for physician involvement.
The
unlicensed practice has attracted national attention recently. Two of
the
companies,
Womb with a View and Fetal Fotos, are mentioned in a recent article in
a
national
news magazine.
The
Texas Department of State Health Services referred these cases to the
Attorney
General
for legal action.
http://www.oag.state.tx.us/oagnews/release.php?id=885
9/19/2006
Revised: June
09, 2006