Ultrasound #2…..Grrrrrrrrrr!

We went to DHMC for ultrasound #2 today. The baby is now 6.7 centimeters long, or approximately 2.64 inches. Woo Hoo!

I wanted to show you video, but the stupid annoying fascist technician wouldn’t allow video in her ultrasound room. Grrrrrrr! I told her that my people (you, dear readers) were expecting (nay, demanding!) a video update of the cutest baby ever, but she cited some sort of hospital policy.

I couldn’t help but wonder….who owns these images? In a YouTube world, why can’t I take a video of MY BABY swimming around in MY WIFE’S UTERUS?? (sorry to dave b. and others who get queasy at the mention of female body parts) Does the hospital own my baby? NO. Is the hospital paying for the ultrasound? NO.

I can think of 2 reasons for denying patients the right to videotape the ultrasound:

  • Reason 1 - Distraction: A proud father waving around a video camera could be distracting to the technician. The ultrasound is being conducted for medical reasons…it’s not a movie screening.
    • Rebuttal: My camera is not distracting. She wouldn’t even be able to tell whether it’s on. There’s no light and I can tape from across the room.
  • Reason 2 - Liability: Maybe the hospital is concerned that a videotape could later be used against the hospital as evidence in some kind of malpractice suit. For this I have to blame the overzealous attorneys.
    • Rebuttal: But if there’s nothing wrong happening, what are they worried about? Couldn’t I just turn on my camera for a brief non-exam part of the session? What is wrong with that?

The technician did give us 9 pictures to take home, which I think is more than normal. She felt bad and wanted to help us out. How much does it cost the hospital to print up these pictures? It’s certainly not free. There’s the cost of the printer, the ink, and the paper. My video would have been free to the hospital!

Next time I’m going to follow my normal procedure: shoot first, ask questions later. It is better to ask for forgiveness than permission.

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This entry was written by Chris and posted on May 14, 2007 at and filed under The Envy Of All Babies: Jack. Bookmark the permalink. Follow any comments here with the RSS feed for this post. Post a comment or leave a trackback: Trackback URL.

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    I presume when your new job starts that you are willing to have a camera installed in your office to have your every move videotaped and then put on YouTube for all to see.

    Any concern for the rights to privacy of the individual?

    Evidently everyone you encounter exists to serve you and your capricious desire to broadcast your life to the rest of the world.

    You are the master and, we, your servants.

    When I asked my wife, a woman experienced in the ways of overzealous men with videocameras during ultrasounds, whether or not a videocamera would bother her, she claimed, "No, but I would just think the person is crazy."

    In the medical profession you are "that guy." Knock yourself out.
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    I'm not asking that a camera be installed in my office. I'm asking to take a short video clip of my unborn child swimming around inside my wife's womb. Sure, I'm a little crazy, but that's my baby in there!

    I fail to see how privacy rights matter here. I'm not taping the nurse, I'm taping my child.
 
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