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moominmuppetDoctors’ Reactions to the Federal Abortion Ban
By Paula Hillard on Thursday, April 26, 2007.
Published under: Access to Abortion | Judicial Activism | Maternal Health | Supreme Court | Women’s Rights
The Supreme Court dealt a stunning blow to doctors last Wednesday, when they upheld a federal law banning a particular abortion method. As a board member of Physicians for Reproductive Choice and Health (PRCH), I've spoken with many abortion providers in the days since the ruling. They are full of questions, concerned about their patients and confused about the language of the ruling. Most of all, the physicians I've spoken with are asking how this ruling affects the way they practice medicine and the safety of the treatments their patients receive.
As physicians, we have a responsibility to act in our patients' best interests—but the Supreme Court has just allowed Congress to override doctors' expert opinions and ban a specific abortion method. This decision endangers women's health and makes it harder for physicians to provide the best possible care to women. The doctors I've spoken to are angry and upset that they can no longer use a method they consider safest and best for many patients.
She goes on to talk about concerns about the language describing the procedure, and the legal dangers that poses to doctors who aren't sure where the line is being drawn regarding actual medical procedures (as opposed to political terms like "partial birth abortion"), as well as examples of cases where it was the safest possibility for the patient.
For doctors, new abortion risks -- a good run-down of how there can be so much confusion and legal risk regarding the definition of the procedures.
By Paula Hillard on Thursday, April 26, 2007.
Published under: Access to Abortion | Judicial Activism | Maternal Health | Supreme Court | Women’s Rights
The Supreme Court dealt a stunning blow to doctors last Wednesday, when they upheld a federal law banning a particular abortion method. As a board member of Physicians for Reproductive Choice and Health (PRCH), I've spoken with many abortion providers in the days since the ruling. They are full of questions, concerned about their patients and confused about the language of the ruling. Most of all, the physicians I've spoken with are asking how this ruling affects the way they practice medicine and the safety of the treatments their patients receive.
As physicians, we have a responsibility to act in our patients' best interests—but the Supreme Court has just allowed Congress to override doctors' expert opinions and ban a specific abortion method. This decision endangers women's health and makes it harder for physicians to provide the best possible care to women. The doctors I've spoken to are angry and upset that they can no longer use a method they consider safest and best for many patients.
She goes on to talk about concerns about the language describing the procedure, and the legal dangers that poses to doctors who aren't sure where the line is being drawn regarding actual medical procedures (as opposed to political terms like "partial birth abortion"), as well as examples of cases where it was the safest possibility for the patient.
For doctors, new abortion risks -- a good run-down of how there can be so much confusion and legal risk regarding the definition of the procedures.
