To the editor: With Arizona repealing its 1864 abortion law, Republican legislators should repeat after me, even if they have to do it in the mirror in the privacy of their home:
I am sorry. Like so many Americans, I thought that abortion surgery was entirely elective. I had no idea that so many confirmed pregnancies do not result in a live birth, and that many women need surgery in order to preserve their fertility or ensure they never reach death’s door.
I regret that I did not meet with board-certified obstetricians and gynecologists to educate myself before I introduced or supported antiaborton legislation. I now realize that my law degree, or my experience in running a business, does not make me an expert on everything.
I will swallow my pride and work toward correcting this.
And, the next time I get sworn into my office, I will quietly add part of the oath that all physicians take: First, do no harm.
Diane Scholfield, Vista, Calif.
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To the editor: In some states now, sick pregnant women are being refused medical care because hospitals or physicians fear legal consequences or even jail.
This makes me think about one of the basic principles of medicine: Do no harm.
The late Rep. Elijah Cummings is said to have remarked, “The cost of doing nothing is not nothing.”
When sick pregnant women are turned away by healthcare providers and nothing is done to help them, there are multiple costs: certainly physical and emotional trauma to women and their families, but there is also a cost to the entire community.
Why would any doctor practice in a state that could force them to harm patients by withholding treatment?
Melanie Hinson, M.D., San Pedro
