A company in Israel has developed a remarkable tool for pregnant mothers: a handheld ultrasound device that can be operated using a smartphone. More people than ever have constant access to the computing power of a smartphone, and the handheld device, now in the final stages of development, would allow parents to check on the health of their preborn child. The unique ultrasound technology was developed by PulseNMore LTD, and the company says the device can connect with any smartphone and is designed to send ultrasound images directly to a woman’s doctor for review.
Professor Israel Meisner, head of the Obstetric Ultrasound Unit at Rabin Medical Center in Petah Tikva, told Hadashot TV, “The new development has one big advantage, which is the calming effect.” He explained, “Women sometimes don’t feel movement, call their doctor and are told to go to an emergency room. Here there’s the option to put a phone on her stomach and see her baby.”
PusleNMore co-founder, Dr. Elazar Sonnenschein added on Hadashot TV, “The purpose is to use it only when necessary, when there’s anxiety.” The tool has not yet been approved by the Israeli Health Ministry, but developers say they have tested the product successfully in the United States.
Monitoring a baby’s movement during the third trimester allows mothers to track their baby’s health and wellbeing. A dramatic change in movement can indicate that something is amiss. When mothers are able to monitor their babies closely, they can sometimes reach a life-saving intervention in time, as in the case of baby Ruby.
Some critics have raised concerns about the handheld ultrasound device being used inappropriately in a diagnostic manner, but the developers have emphasized that the images will be evaluated by the mother’s personal doctor and there will be a limit to the number of ultrasounds that can be performed. As Professor Meisner stated, “This is a device with the sole purpose of calming a woman down, to give her the chance to see her fetus, connect to it when she is stressed, and understand that it is looking okay.”
Few images are as powerful a reminder of the reality of preborn Life as ultrasounds. In 2011, Texas passed the Sonogram Law requiring that women can view an ultrasound of their preborn child and have a 24-hour waiting period before making an abortion decision. Viewing the ultrasound is necessary for informed consent, and, as stories of real Texans show, this law saves lives.
The abortion industry is opposed to any legislation that requires women see their preborn babies. Abortion businesses are notorious for hiding the facts of preborn Life visible in an ultrasound. As Live Action notes regarding the forthcoming ultrasound technology:
But with this new ultrasound device that can show women the reality that their babies indeed have heartbeats (as early as 16 days after conception) and other easily recognizable body parts even early in the first trimester, women could very soon be empowered to see for themselves the truth about the child in the womb.