THE DOCTOR IS IN
OP-ED BY DR. ADIL MANZOOR
It is no more news that the Supreme Court has overturned Roe vs. Wade, essentially opening the door for states to decide on their own abortion policies. Before now, abortion was legal in all states for both medical and personal choices. Soon after the Supreme Court made the decision, around half of the states in the country moved to ban abortion.
We are past the initial uproar and commotion that accompanied the move. Now, we can examine the decision more critically. A large chunk of the discussions up to now has been about the morality of the move. Many believe the move directly affects a woman’s choice to determine what she wants for herself.
However, I am not going to be examining that side now. Instead, I will consider how the move impacts physicians in the states that have ruled against abortion.
For starters, physicians now have to go through a lot of bureaucracy to determine if a patient should get an abortion in cases where abortion would otherwise have been recommended. The common example that comes to mind is ectopic pregnancy, which is an abnormal kind of pregnancy.
Here, the fertilized egg implants outside of the uterus. This is a problem because the egg cannot survive outside of the uterus. Consequently, the pregnancy can pose a risk to surrounding organs and cause internal bleeding. The most common symptoms are pelvic pain and vaginal bleeding.
In the wake of the decision, many physicians were confused about if they could carry out or even suggest abortion to patients. Now, they had to consider several factors and ascertain if an abortion would not be against state law. While many states allow for the termination of abortion in medical emergencies, there is a gray area about what classifies as an emergency.
As you would imagine, doctors often have different opinions about a medical condition. So, to be on the safe side, many physicians are staying away from abortion altogether. That can be deadly for patients with ectopic pregnancies, as the pregnancy could cause internal bleeding at any moment.
Even if the condition is deemed a medical emergency, doctors must go through committees and medical boards for a go-ahead. One physician described it as very mentally-draining, and it’s not hard to see why. When you consider the level of physician burnout currently, it looks very bleak.
Aside from actual surgery to abort the pregnancy, many doctors are restricting medications that could potentially cause abortion. And yes, even if the patient uses them for fully valid non-abortion reasons. It’s very odd and alarming, to be frank. One such drug is methotrexate, which many patients use to treat arthritis and lupus.
Another concerning implication is the loss of jobs, especially in abortion clinics. Some doctors specialize in abortions. Some gynecologists spend the better part of their career handling abortion cases. It remains to be seen what will happen to these physicians. Again, remember that physician burnout is already at an all-time high. At the current rate, in a few years, some fields of medicine will be lacking qualified doctors.
One body reached out to some abortion specialists to find out if they would give illegal abortions. The answer was no, thankfully, but many are unsure of their career future. The expectation is for these people to leave the state for places where abortion is legal.
However, when that happens, the number of physicians that can handle abortions in the state reduces. This becomes a major problem when actual medical emergencies that require abortion arises.
Moreover, some doctors are reluctant to handle medical procedures that could affect the fetus. An example is removing the appendix. While the risk of abortion is low, there’s still a risk. And with the current policy, any error that leads to abortion could result in a loss of license or even jail time. This puts even more pressure on an already high-tension field, the pressure we could very well do without.
Irrespective of where you stand on abortion policies, you must agree that the Supreme Court’s decision has created a delicate situation for physicians.
This article was written by Dr. Adil Manzoor DO, a Board Certified Internist & Board Eligible Pediatrician, who works as a Hospitalist, and Emergency Room Physician. He is also the current President of Garden State Street Medicine, a non-profit organization whose sole purpose is to provide free preventive and acute urgent care services for the homeless. He is also the co-founder of his own unique medical practice Mobile Medicine NJ.
References
- https://www.politico.com/news/2022/06/29/abortion-doctors-post-roe-dilemma-move-stay-or-straddle-state-lines-00040660
- https://khn.org/morning-breakout/abortion-doctors-face-quandary-over-future-work-in-post-roe-times/
- https://www.statnews.com/2022/07/05/a-scary-time-fear-of-prosecution-forces-doctors-to-choose-between-protecting-themselves-or-their-patients/
- https://finance.yahoo.com/news/physicians-face-confusion-fear-post-160206773.html
