Did you hear about the new law that got passed? Finally. Lawmakers are choosing to protect citizens, as well as a patient's right to make an educated choice, over private businesses and their monetary gain.
Finally.
You haven't heard of it?
It has to do with how patients are treated inside non-hospital medical facilities.
A law was passed requiring medical offices that perform elective procedures must have an agreement with a local hospital in regards to patient care in the case of an emergency. Now, obviously legitimate clinics would already send a patient to the emergency room in the off chance that something went wrong. But sending a patient on their own to the emergency room is not the same as having an ongoing relationship with that hospital, who knows your doctors, who understands the procedure, etc. This statute mandates better care for the patients.
Offices that are unable to enter into such an agreement with a hospital will be forced to close their doors. There are opponents who argue that this will limit the availability of medical care. But do you honestly want to receive elective medical care from a doctor if no hospitals in the area are willing to enter into a relationship with that practice? Would you send your children to such a doctor? Probably not.
Another part of the same statute requires that doctors provide additional information regarding the elective procedure to the patient. That's all. Giving the patient more information and then allowing them to make a (more) educated choice as to whether or not to proceed. I for one think that any medical procedure, elective or not, should be taken seriously, and the more information you can provide to patients to help them make that decision, the better.
Unfortunately, there are some who oppose this part of the law. Can you believe it? They're concerned that if the patient is given more information, they might choose not to have the procedure. Well, isn't that their right? Don't you trust individual citizens to make intelligent, educated decisions over what to do with their own bodies? Do you really think withholding information is an ethical way to treat your patients?
I don't. Can you imagine going to the doctor, and finding out that they didn't want to give you all of the information regarding an elective procedure you were considering? What would your reaction be?
I think if I were ever put in that position, I would definitely reconsider that physician, if not the procedure itself.
I still can't believe you haven't heard of this amazing, awesome new law. This law that puts patients rights first, both their right to exceptional care, and their right to make an informed decision.
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The truth is, you probably have heard of it. Except the media and certain sides of a political argument have been referring to it as an "anti-abortion" law, trampling on the rights of women everywhere.
The State of Ohio recently passed laws requiring that abortion clinics enter into agreements with local hospitals, for the case that an emergency arises.
Additionally, part of the law requires that the doctor inform the patient whether or not a heartbeat can be detected.
That's all.
Better care. More information.
The law does not limit a woman's ability to walk into an existing abortion clinic and obtain the procedure. It does not even limit the stage of pregnancy at which abortions can be performed.
It simply legislated that medical professionals who choose to perform the procedure must provide better care, and must give their patients pertinent information prior to performing the procedure.
Better care. More information.
Yet pro-abortion supporters would have you believe that this is a travesty against women in our country. The media has blown up with how devestating this is for women's rights.
But is it, really?
Better care. More information.
Those opposing this law would rather women went to clinics with an outdated standard of care, would rather withhold information from women, in the name of being able to perform a greater number of abortions than they would to work within the new statutes to ensure truly exceptional care for women everywhere.
Better care. More information.
As a woman, the idea that providing me with more information would lessen my ability to make the "right" decision, angers me. It suggests that we as women are too weak to make educated & informed decisions on our own. Opponents argue that hearing the heartbeat will be to emotional, will change women's minds.
To suggest that a woman cannot think beyond her emotions is a sexist, oppressive argument that hinders any progress of gender equality. Stop it.
Better care. More information. Period.
2 comments:
Except you are glossing over the fact that hospitals do not have to partner with clinics, which would severely limit the ability of clinics to operate. And, it's not really necessary for a partnership to exist - anyone in an emergency situation should be able to go to an emergency room in a hospital and get proper treatment. Maybe a specific partnership might make things easier for records transfer, but the standard of care should not be affected.
In addition, the sexist part of the statute is assuming that women are unaware of the information beforehand. Do you not know about reproductive stages? Can you not already subscribe to The Bump and get this information without consulting a doctor? Presuming that a woman would be unaware that a heartbeat was present, or that the heartbeat would make a difference in the decision is very demeaning in my opinion.
So, no offense, but you're spinning it as much as the media you object to.
I so appreciate your even handed and open minded approach to this issue. When one thinks of it as a MEDICAL issue, it seems like common sense to provide as much information as possible so as to avoid a lot of sad issues and complications later.
Although I am unapologetically pro-life, I feel as if the media and people who just want to support the abortion industry have truly jaded the truth when it comes to the possibility of real medical issues with the abortion procedure- regardless of whether a person sees this as a moral issue or not. Physical medical risks are real, not to mention the long term psychological ramifications.
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