Advances in ultrasound scanning will soon provide pregnant women with clear pictures of their unborn children.

The new, three-dimensional images of babies in the womb reveal for the first time what an unborn baby's face looks like. They were shown to obstetricians at a conference in Edinburgh, Scotland, November 1.

The scanning technique used to obtain the pictures has been under development for 5 years and will improve medical diagnosis of fetal abnormalities. With further refinement it should also allow doctors to perform keyhole fetal surgery instead of potentially dangerous invasive surgery.

The new scanners, which are expected to be in hospitals in the next few years, will give parents a far better picture of their baby than the familiar blurred pictures now available. Prof. Stuart Campbell, of St. George's Hospital Medical School in London, said the new scanner is a 'medical breakthrough' and will help parents bond with their unborn child.

He expects that the detailed images will also be used by the pro-life lobby to support its arguments against abortion.

-- Electronic Telegraph