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History
- Referred to health
- Recommitted to rules
- Ordered to third reading cal.1824
- Committee discharged and committed to rules
- Referred to health
Full text
The text isn't available here yet. Check nysenate.gov.
Sponsor's memo
BILL NUMBER:S4972
Title of bill
An act directing the commissioner of health to conduct a study of the practice of obstetrical ultrasound procedures for non-medical and non-diagnostic purposes
Purpose or general idea of bill
This legislation would direct the Commissioner of Health to conduct a study analyzing the practice of conducting prolonged and/or unnecessary ultrasounds for non-medical and non-diagnostic purposes from both a medical and business perspective.
Summary of specific provisions
Section 1 of the bill requires the commissioner of health to conduct a study analyzing the impact of conducting prolonged and/or unnecessary ultrasounds for non-medical and non-diagnostic purposes on the health of the receiving individual, as well as analyzing the proliferation of business offering such services and the adequacy of the current requirements for maintenance and operation of ultrasound machines.
Section 2 of the bill provides that the act shall take effect immediately.
Justification
Obstetrical ultrasound procedures are an immensely useful medical tool to ensure the health of a mother and her fetus during pregnancy. When used for medical procedures, ultrasounds are considered to be safe and non-invasive, and help to confirm a pregnancy, determine whether vaginal bleeding is occurring, and monitor a fetus' heartbeat.
However, despite its usefulness, an ultrasound is still a procedure that should be administered by a licensed medical professional and should not be commercialized for the purposes of recording fetal "keepsake" videos and images. The FDA has released a statement urging people not to use ultrasound devices in this manner, as it is unclear what impact prolonged exposure to these devices might have on the health of the fetus and the mother. The FDA notes that ultrasounds can produce slight tissue heating and cavitation, the long-term health impacts of which are currently unknown.
This legislation would direct the commissioner of health to conduct a study of this practice, and determine the health impacts of the practice along with the proliferation of these kind of "keepsake" imaging businesses in the State of New York.
Prior legislative history
None.
Fiscal implications
None to the state.
Effective date
This act shall take effect immediately.
Summaries, headlines and scores are AI-generated from the official bill text. How we score bills. Source: NYS Open Legislation.