Doctors say Ohio's new abortion laws force them to violate their oaths to do no harm (Republic: insurance)

[WRnative]

<<A little more than two months into enforcement of Ohio’s harsh abortion restrictions, doctors are describing scenes of almost unimaginable anguish — and increased risks to women and girls who become pregnant.

According to them, in all but the most dire medical emergencies, they and their patients have had to take up to 15 minutes with a bureaucratic process that some docs say is meant to shame women before allowing them to end pregnancies that pose a threat to their lives.

Other women have partially delivered fetuses too undeveloped to survive only to see the delivery stall. In that condition, with the fetus partly out, they also have had to sign paperwork — and then wait for 24 hours, or for the fetus’s heart to stop.


Women suffering other complications such as a detached umbilical cord have faced similar intrusions just after they were devastated to learn they would lose a child they dearly wanted. They, too, have had to wait a day or for fetal demise.>>


https://ohiocapitaljournal.com/2022/...to-do-no-harm/

The article also notes that perhaps one-third of women and girls don't even know they are pregnant before Ohio's draconian abortion restrictions take effect.

The article explains that exceptions to the law permitting an abortion when a mother's life or health at risk are untested in court and subject to legal interpretation, often involving a hospital's legal department, resulting in policies that differ from hospital to hospital.


Not stated in the article is that doctors and their legal advisors will err on the side of caution, thereby providing pregnant women with less than optimal medical care.


One Ohio doctor who specializes in high-risk pregnancies quoted in the article describes the anguish involved in terminating a pregnancy even when a mother's life definitely is at risk.


<<“As it came to light that her life would be in jeopardy, we made the recommendation to terminate the pregnancy,” Malhotra said. “She broke down and said, ‘I don’t want to die.’


“Having a patient say that to you is devastating in and of itself. But as we made the decision to move forward with the termination — with the abortion — I thought, ‘I’m really worried about this patient. She’s incredibly sick, but did I do all the paperwork correctly? Did I sign all the forms that need to be signed? What kind of trouble am I going to get into if something untoward happens when the patient is already extremely unstable. It just adds an extra layer of stress to an already extremely stressful situation.”


Malhotra said she later felt terribly about fretting over her potential legal jeopardy while caring for a patient who was in such trouble....


Malhotra, who handles the diciest cases, says that in them, her first step is to call the lawyers and discuss her plan, a process that typically takes three to five minutes.

“The paperwork on the other hand — takes about 10 to 15 minutes to review with the patient,” she said. “In an absolute emergency, we may forgo the paperwork and plan to fill it out after the procedure. However, I think most of us will be fearing for our license and wellbeing in those situations.” >>


The article explains that a doctor performing an emergency abortion faces the risk of felony criminal charges, civil action, and even loss of a medical license.


The article describes how Ohio law requires a pregnant woman to carry to term even a baby suffering fatal fetal deficiencies once a heartbeat is detected. Any woman carrying a baby faces medical risks, such as from blood clots, so prolonging a pregnancy needlessly risks the woman's health if not life, as well as certainly raising medical expenses and constraining the woman's ability to function within society.


<<Malhotra said it’s just cruel to make women walk around for months with pregnancies that can’t succeed.

“They’re carrying a pregnancy to term only to be able to bury it,” she said. “Meanwhile, while you’re pregnant, you’ll be retraumatized every time anyone comes wanting to rub your belly, or wanting to ask you when you’re due, what you’re doing, what’s the name. Everywhere you go, pregnant people get asked (those things) all the time. >>

The article does not discuss the obvious reality that Ohio's abortion restrictions will raise the cost of pregnancies in Ohio as doctors deal with the abortion restrictions, often under the expensive guidance of bureaucratic and legal experts. Pregnant women who must spend extra time in hospitals receiving additional, unneeded specialty care, also will see much higher bills. If paid by insurance, the cost of all pregnant care will rise in Ohio.


The article also describes the cruel requirements imposed on women suffering medical emergencies during pregnancy by the new laws and regulations.



The resulting, increased trauma experienced by pregnant women also is likely to impact negatively not only their lives, but also their families.


Most importantly, what doctors will want to treat pregnant Ohio women under these conditions unless well compensated for the adverse conditions compared to other states without these restrictions? In a period of increasing nationwide shortages of doctors and nurses, Ohio may increasingly have shortages of medical personnel trained to handle pregnancies, let alone high risk pregnancies.


<<“I don’t know how I’m handling it, to be honest with you,” Malhotra said. “I’m emotionally and physically exhausted. And at this point (I’m) strongly considering leaving the state. I got into medicine wanting to help patients… and do no harm.”>>

[Kerby W-R]

Our governor has created this madness by signing this into law. I'm doing all I can to vote him out.

[WRnative]

Originally Posted by Kerby W-R

Our governor has created this madness by signing this into law. I'm doing all I can to vote him out.

As it's unlikely that Democrats can overcome the Republican gerrymander in the Ohio legislature, replacing Republican Congresspersons when possible with Democrats would likely result in a federal law protecting abortion rights in Ohio and everywhere, and also voting rights laws prohibiting gerrymanders and voter suppression might be passed and take effect, at least until the U.S. Supreme Court "super-legislators" have their say.

However, the U.S. Supreme Court would think twice about overturning popular Democratic legislation because if the Democrats have a sufficient majority while Biden is President, they could expand the Supreme Court and add their own justices, IF Biden would agree to expand the court.

Of course, an Ohio Democratic governor could veto any new extreme Republican legislation. IF the Republicans survive this election cycle with their Ohio legislature super-majorities intact, a total abortion ban would seem possible, if not likely, and DeWine has said he would sign any new abortion restriction legislation.

[ohioaninsc]

Originally Posted by WRnative

As it's unlikely that Democrats can overcome the Republican gerrymander in the Ohio legislature, replacing Republican Congresspersons when possible with Democrats would likely result in a federal law protecting abortion rights in Ohio and everywhere, and also voting rights laws prohibiting gerrymanders and voter suppression might be passed and take effect, at least until the U.S. Supreme Court "super-legislators" have their say.

However, the U.S. Supreme Court would think twice about overturning popular Democratic legislation because if the Democrats have a sufficient majority while Biden is President, they could expand the Supreme Court and add their own justices, IF Biden would agree to expand the court.

Of course, an Ohio Democratic governor could veto any new extreme Republican legislation. IF the Republicans survive this election cycle with their Ohio legislature super-majorities intact, a total abortion ban would seem possible, if not likely, and DeWine has said he would sign any new abortion restriction legislation.

DeWine is simply unfit to serve as governor of Ohio...it's imperative Nan Whaley wins so she can stop the idiots in the state legislature from turning this state even further backwards.