Doctors Must Speak Out on Abortion
As physicians, we intimately understand the medical need for abortion. It’s time to speak up.
It was a spring day on Long Island, April 1970, right after my 14th birthday. I got home from yeshiva about 6 p.m. and noticed my mom glued to the TV, watching the news — something she rarely did. The New York State Assembly had just passed legislation legalizing abortion after an upstate legislator, George Michaels, dramatically reversed his no vote to a yes. I remember my mom turning to me, pleased with the news, and saying, “I knew women who got illegal abortions. People have some nerve telling women what to do.”
This issue was abstract to me at the time. But my experiences since, as an infectious diseases doctor for more than 30 years, have made it clear that abortion is not only an issue of women’s choice but also a complex, pressing medical issue in many key ways. Abortion touches so many aspects of regular medical practice, and the professionalism incumbent in being a physician includes supporting women in making their decisions. Regardless of personal stance, every doctor has a duty to ensure women have access to services like abortion, even if that means making referrals to someone else. Any doctor who stands in the way of that is fundamentally not doing their job.
