My mark on history is fighting for women in Idaho, and nationwide, living under abortion bans
An ultrasound machine sits next to an exam table in an examination room at Whole Woman's Health of South Bend on June 19, 2019, in South Bend, Indiana. ()
As a mother and a rural family physician who provides obstetrics and gynecological care in Idaho, I see everyday how severe legal restrictions work to prevent safe medical treatment and instead result in unnecessarily dangerous pregnancy care.
Last week, to mark the end of Women's History Month, I traveled to Washington, D.C., to meet with members of Congress in the Democratic Women's Caucus to speak out against the many attacks we are seeing nationwide and the consequences of abortion bans on patients in Idaho and across the country in this post Roe world.
For example, St. Luke's Health System — the largest medical provider in Idaho — bravely took up the challenge to Idaho's near-total abortion ban last month because the Trump administration's Department of Justice dropped the previous administration's defense of EMTALA, the federal law requiring hospitals that receive Medicare funds to provide stabilizing emergency care — including abortion.
An Idaho federal judge issued a temporary restraining order that allows only St. Luke's physicians to stabilize patients with abortion care, when necessary, rather than follow Idaho's near-total abortion ban.
A health system is fighting Idaho's abortion ban. It's not its first controversial stance.
This means that whether or not patients can receive life-saving emergency care in Idaho depends on which ER they choose. Every other hospital and provider in Idaho will once again be forced to airlift patients out of state or wait until a patient's condition becomes a situation in which termination will prevent death before they can intervene to provide the necessary care.
Abortion bans are killing women, and instead of taking steps to protect access to lifesaving medical care, Trump and Republican extremists are working behind-the-scenes to roll back the rights of millions of American women and doctors even further.
My life's work is about ensuring the wellbeing of all my patients by providing the best possible medical care I can, and making sure that every decision I make will help give them a long and happy future.
When I was living in a small town in Western Colorado teaching high school, I became drawn to the idea of becoming a rural family practice physician as I got to know some of the families that lived there and the family doctors that cared for them. The concept of providing 'birth to death' care, and getting to know a family's story at a deeper level across the generations was inspirational to me.
Idaho is a wonderful state filled with amazing families that I have had the pleasure of providing care and support to. However, extreme politicians jeopardize the ability of medical practitioners like myself to provide care especially during cases of an emergency where a patient's life is at stake.
As a physician, I can tell you that delaying care for a patient with a medical emergency is extremely dangerous and can lead to serious complications. Medical emergencies must be addressed immediately and comprehensively.
With the current abortion bans in place, doctors outside of the St. Luke's system may be prevented from providing the medical standard of care for a pregnant patient who is hemorrhaging until their health deteriorates enough to provide treatment to prevent her death.
I will not remain on the sidelines in this moment. I choose instead to speak out against efforts to restrict the freedom of families to make decisions about their lives and futures. Medical decisions should be taking place as a protected conversation between patients and their doctor, without government intrusion.
The vast majority of Americans support reproductive freedom and abortion access. Polling shows that 61% of Americans disagree with the Supreme Court's decision to overturn Roe v. Wade, and a majority of Americans (8 in 10) say that the decision to have an abortion should be between the pregnant person and their doctor.
As I reflect on what Women's History Month means to me, I am inspired by leaders like Eleanor Roosevelt, who used her position as first lady to push for progressive legislation and to speak up for women and other marginalized communities of her time.
She once said, 'the world of the future is in our making. Tomorrow is now.'
If we are going to protect women and patients impacted by the abortion bans sweeping the nation, we must ensure that doctors, and all health care providers have the necessary tools and resources to save every life they can. When families and patients go into the emergency room, they should never be told that medical standards of care are illegal.
It's been the honor of a lifetime to dedicate my livelihood to providing care to my patients. I will continue to be an advocate for reproductive freedom because I am passionate about carrying out my oath to my patients. I hope that the mark I leave on history is that I not only fought for my patients in the exam room, but also in the Statehouse, the courthouse and the public square.
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