Women's health care focuses on their reproductive years. This is an important concern of every health care provider, so of course, I'm going to write about it. Assuring accessibility. Navigating patients' concerns, preferences, and options. Defending their choices.
I'm not one to publicly address political, ethical, or moral aspects of health care issues when I'm not directly or personally affected by them, but reproductive rights come under the umbrella of health and well being, not political manipulation, power, or control, so I have spoken up.
This is a copy of the letter I sent to every Republican senator in 2022. Roe v. Wade was at stake back then. Now that abortion rights have been overturned, though, we're still in danger of losing access to mifepristone and misoprostol, and to IVF. I will never have to make a personal decision for or against abortion or IVF, nor will my daughters, at this point...but my granddaughter may come up against the issue. And so might yours...
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Dear_______:
I am writing to you regarding my concerns
should the Senate move to undermine the reproductive rights of women by
overturning the 1973 United States Supreme Court decision on Roe v. Wade.
I am a physician with over thirty years of
experience in Family Medicine so I am familiar with the issues that impact the
accessibility, efficacy, and safety of women’s health care. I am also the
mother of three adult children, and the grandmother of three youngsters, so I
know a lot about the sanctity of a woman’s body and her reproductive rights.
As a physician, it is my duty and
privilege to assist my patients with the difficult decisions they have to
navigate when it comes to health care. Whether or not it is safe to vaccinate
their children. Whether or not to sign the Do Not Resuscitate order. Whether to
carry an unintended pregnancy to term, especially in the case of rape/incest,
or contraceptive failure. I don’t make these decisions for my patients. I
educate them. I guide them through a labyrinth of questions and concerns, some
of which they might not otherwise have considered. Things they might regret later on. Together we look at the pros
and cons, the advantages and disadvantages, and the risk of unfavorable
outcomes when we explore their treatment options. I don’t coerce them, or
manipulate them, or mislead them to satisfy my personal, political, or
religious agenda. I listen to the stories they share with me, and I respect the
decisions they make for themselves.
It's not that I don't hold
strong beliefs about a woman's reproductive freedom. I do. I am not declaring
my support for, or my opposition to abortion. It is not my role, my duty, or my
intention to impose my personal beliefs on anyone. Nor should you.
At the heart of Roe v. Wade is a woman’s
right to decide for herself about elective abortion. Most of us will never have
to confront this decision, but our daughters may, and our granddaughters may.
The next time you give you daughter a hug, the next time you sweep your
granddaughter into your arms, imagine her as a victim of rape. If you vote to
overturn Roe v. Wade, be absolutely certain you are willing to watch her
suffer. To make her suffer. Ask yourself if you will embrace her child of rape
with the unconditional love you feel for your own children.
Because this is my fear. I fear for the
infants born to these women. That they will be neglected, rejected, and abused
because the color of their skin, or the texture of their hair, or their facial
features mark them as different. As undesirable. As unlovable. I worry that
they will end up in our emergency departments, abandoned on our streets, or
cast off into the trash. How will we care for the ones who survive? Who
will care for them? You cannot claim to support the right to life of the unborn
unless you have a plan in place to protect and care for them after birth.
I worry, too, that women will, once again,
be forced into back alleys and basements in a desperate and dangerous effort to
terminate these pregnancies. That we will see a resurgence of the septic
abortions and mutilations that compelled us to support women’s safety and
well-being by passing Roe v. Wade in the first place. I am afraid the next
generation will manifest a whole new class of traumatized, angry, and abandoned
women and children.
But that’s not the only problem I
anticipate. The decision to revoke the protections and human rights of women
will set a new legislative precedent. It will confer authority to outliers and
men in power to unilaterally eliminate the protections we have put in place to
support immigrants and asylum seekers. To prevent gun violence. To feed the
hungry and shelter the homeless. To access affordable health care, and to
protect our privacy.
If Roe v. Wade falls, it will bring our
constitutional democracy to its knees, a democracy that has flourished not in
spite of, but because of, its diversity, inclusivity, and vision for over 200
years. Indeed, we have already witnessed the violation of basic human rights,
the corruption of justice, and a surge in violence and fear among our most
vulnerable citizens in the name of political power, self-proclaimed
entitlement, and hatred.
This is not the America you and I grew up
in. It is not the same country that bestowed upon us a path to success,
security, and freedom. How can we deny it to others?
As a United States Senator, you are in a
position to change the course of history as it is being written. Will you allow
yourself to surrender to men who are hungry for power and control over the
reproductive freedoms of women they don’t even know? Why are you afraid to
stand up to them? Has your heart hardened against the humanity you are part of?
What scares you about defending the rights of women? What prevents you from
acting out of dignity, purpose, and principle?
When did you fold?
For the sake of all women and children,
out of compassion for all who suffer, and in the name of human rights, I
implore you to reconsider your support of the Republican leadership on this
important issue. Vote to uphold Roe v. Wade. Do what is honorable,
compassionate, and just, or explain to us why you refuse.
Thank you for your attention and consideration.
Yours,
Janet F. Cincotta,
M.D
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Did this letter change anyone's mind? Did it make any difference at all? It did to me. I'm pretty proud of it.
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