OMEN
09-10-2006, 09:25 PM
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A 'Tom Cruise Bill' has been drafted in the US to prevent parents buying ultrasound machines.
The Top Gun actor sparked interest amongst California lawmakers last October when he told US host Barbara Walters that he had purchased - and was using - an ultrasound to monitor his then unborn daughter, Suri.
Dubbed the "Tom Cruise Bill," the measure seeks to stop the sale of the machines to wealthy parents who are looking for new ways to peek at their unborn children.
Although ultrasound technology has been used for over 40 years without any documented injury to the foetus, the US Food and Drug Administration has since 1994 discouraged the use of ultrasound for nonmedical purposes.
The American Institute of Ultrasound in Medicine also has issued a "prudent use" statement to discourage the "nonmedical use of ultrasound for psychosocial or entertainment purposes."
Proponents of the bill say overexposure to the mechanical vibrations and higher temperatures of the ultrasound equipment could result in tissue damage, which is why parents who might be tempted to overuse the machine should not have access to it in their home.
The machines cost between US$25,000 to US$200,000 in the States.
California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger will have to first sign the bill before it becomes law.
Splash
A 'Tom Cruise Bill' has been drafted in the US to prevent parents buying ultrasound machines.
The Top Gun actor sparked interest amongst California lawmakers last October when he told US host Barbara Walters that he had purchased - and was using - an ultrasound to monitor his then unborn daughter, Suri.
Dubbed the "Tom Cruise Bill," the measure seeks to stop the sale of the machines to wealthy parents who are looking for new ways to peek at their unborn children.
Although ultrasound technology has been used for over 40 years without any documented injury to the foetus, the US Food and Drug Administration has since 1994 discouraged the use of ultrasound for nonmedical purposes.
The American Institute of Ultrasound in Medicine also has issued a "prudent use" statement to discourage the "nonmedical use of ultrasound for psychosocial or entertainment purposes."
Proponents of the bill say overexposure to the mechanical vibrations and higher temperatures of the ultrasound equipment could result in tissue damage, which is why parents who might be tempted to overuse the machine should not have access to it in their home.
The machines cost between US$25,000 to US$200,000 in the States.
California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger will have to first sign the bill before it becomes law.
Splash