Anti-Choice Politicians Focus on State Law

By Dr. Jen Gunter, Wielding the Lasso of Truth

20 June 12

This article is, in part, a response to readers about a recent article written by Dr. Jen Gunter, published by Reader Supported News: When Politicians Decide if the Life of the Mother Is at Risk.

y last post detailed a case in which a young woman with a serious heart condition required a pregnancy termination for medical reasons. She ended up at the State hospital because they offer “free care.” Many of you know that the idea of “free care” at a State hospital is unfortunately a common belief, but simply not the case. State hospitals have budgets and are no longer the safety net for the uninsured.

Pregnant women with serious medical conditions may find themselves in an even greater bind as anti-choice laws have increasingly targeted state hospitals (see recent events in Kansas and Arizona). Why single out state hospitals for anti-choice legislation? Well, reducing/eliminating abortions at state hospitals affects education as these hospitals are typically teaching facilities, so with little to no access to abortion training these politicians hope the number of providers in the state will dwindle over time. They like to tell their constituents, “This is part of our message, that abortion providers are not welcome here.” As these lawmakers are largely motivated by anti-choice vocalizations and chest thumping, I think the easy pickings of anti-choice legislation against a state facility is the prime motivation. It’s a chip shot in a GOP controlled state and often neglected in the news because it’s buried in a state budget, so not a direct challenge to Roe. Oh, and I bet this kind of legislation helps to loosen campaign dollars.

Many people commented in disbelief, wondering why a politician might have to be contacted to determine “life or death?” But you see, the law was so obviously written by someone with no knowledge of the myriad of ways that a pregnancy can affect the health of a woman that no physician (or even lawyer, for that matter) could interpret the spirit of the law (besides, you know, misogyny). Is it reasonable chance of death in 30 minutes? 3 hours? 3 days? 3 weeks? How certain does death have to be? A 50% chance? A 25% chance of death, I mean that’s not certain, but pretty fucking high if you ask me.

You might think a politician deciding life or death is the worst thing possible (and seem suspiciously like a death panel and the biggest ego trip ever rolled into one). And I’ll admit, it’s pretty bad.

You might think a politician with no medical knowledge writing laws that interfere with your medical care to be pretty terrible. And yes, it’s pretty counter productive to good health.

You also might think that the worst thing about my post is that it’s not a single case, but a compilation of several. Well, that’s pretty bad too.

But to me, the worst thing about my post on a politician deciding on the definition of life or death when it comes to abortion access at a state hospital is that the law that allowed this to happen has been on the books now for at least 10 years. And the state political party that wrote and passed the law has been elected at least twice in the intervening time.

Why bother with the Supreme Court and Roe at all if you can win the battle far easier at the state level?

Dr. Jennifer Gunter is a nationally and internationally renowned obstetrician/gynecologist. She is the recipient of numerous research awards and has published extensively in medical journals and authored many book chapters. "The Preemie Primer" is her first book. Her writing has also appeared in USA Today, the A Cup of Comfort series, KevinMD.com, EmpowHer.com, Exceptional Parent, Parents Press, Sacramento Parent, and the Marin Independent Journal. Dr. Gunter also writes a sexual health column for examiner.com. She has been interviewed by numerous national media outlets and magazines, including CNN.com, More, US News and World Report, Runner's World, Glamour, Redbook, Woman's World, and Shape.

Dr. Gunter was born and raised in Winnipeg, Canada, and graduated from The University of Manitoba School of Medicine in 1990 at the age of 23. In 1995 she completed her OB/GYN training at the University of Western Ontario and moved to the United States to complete a fellowship in infectious diseases at the University of Kansas. After completing her fellowship she continued her studies in pain medicine and currently is the only OB/GYN in the United States who is board certified in both OB/GYN and pain medicine. Dr. Gunter is one of the select few physicians in the United States who holds four board certifications.