Proponents of the Ohio Abortion Law: Is it Right to Protect the Medical Interests of Patients? The Pain of Pregnant Women, Their Parents, and Their Families

It’s these moments of hope, often cloaked in grief, that help those of us wearied by the dogfight in the political trenches to stand up one more time. Our sails are supported by a large majority of the population who are in agreement with us and our governing bodies, namely the American Medical Association and the American College of OB & Gyn, who are fully behind us in opposing abortion bans.

The trauma patients must go through to get healthcare, as well as the constant misinformation about abortion,weigh heavily on us.

I worry that a lawyer who is not versed in a complicated case will not understand a patient who needs an abortion. I worry they won’t have the time, money, and support to get the care they need. And this denial, which is not in alignment with my medical opinion or the patient’s wishes, will forever alter their life. I’m afraid they will die.

Patients often drive for over a dozen hours to see the clinic. I am proud to make sure patients who need an abortion for other reasons have access to it, just as I am honored to care for my high-risk patients. I am proud of their choice to live their lives as they wanted.

There are changes to the legal reality of abortion frequently in Ohio. In 2019, Governor Mike DeWine (who is up for reelection next month) signed a law banning abortion after early cardiac activity is detected, usually around six weeks into a pregnancy (before many women even know they are pregnant). The law took effect after the judge said it was likely to be ruled unconstitutional.

Already, since Tara and Justin’s experience, this law that forced them to travel out-of-state has been put on hold by a judge’s preliminary injunction, which means it will not be enforced while litigation over it is still pending. The upcoming elections are expected to have a big impact on what comes next. I coordinate out-of-state abortion care in other states as I have to keep up with laws in our neighboring states.

It’s hard to practice medicine when you’re always bracing for the next legal crisis that could harm your patients. I talk to hospital lawyers more frequently than any physician should, begging and pleading on patients’ behalf, frustrated that patients cannot receive the same care as they would in a different state.

I turn away a patient every now and then, because I know there is a passionate fire in a young student excited to make a career of helping others. This serious breach of my duty as a physician is not easily recovered from, even when I am powerless to do otherwise.

But I still experience joy in my job sometimes. The trembling hands of a college student, suddenly still after swallowing the first pill of their medication abortion regimen, whispering with increasing confidence, “I’m going to be ok.” The tears of a transplant recipient dry when she knows she won’t have to go back on the transplant list when her already tenuous kidney fails again during another pregnancy.

The enormous weight on the shoulders of a single mom is lifted now that she can stop worrying about having a baby because she can focus on her family and career. Now that Tara and Justin know exactly what they did was right for Tara’s health and spared their baby, their shattered hearts can start to heal.

The battle comes at a high cost for everyone. Patients seeking abortion care and providers of that care should not be leveraged as political pawns or pushed to the forefront of national elections.

It is time to allow patients to make medical decisions that are related to their faith, family needs and their health, without government interference. They should be able to receive compassionate care regardless of where they live. And doctors should be allowed to simply be doctors. I should be allowed to care for my patients without fear of retaliation or legal jeopardy.

The death of my son: I’m sorry to hear about the tragic outcome of the First Supreme Court case against Roe v. Wade

I found my son dead in his bathroom from an overdose of Fentanyl on January 26, 2021. He was not a bad person. I saw a teenager going through normal teenager things like, ‘What am I going to do with my life?’ He was new to antidepressants and was experimental. This was after months of isolation from the pandemic, layoffs and being cut off from mental health resources. If the pandemic hadn’t happened, I’m pretty sure I’d still have Corrado here.

The hardest thing I ever went through was finding my son dead, but my past abortion was the hardest decision I’ve ever had to make, by far. I’m really mad that they overturned Roe v. Wade. I can’t imagine being in the position that I was in about 15 years ago and to not have had that choice. My appendix burst when I was 7 months pregnant with my youngest child, and I found myself pregnant again only a few months later while in an emotionally abusive relationship. It was like I sacrificed the one for the good of the two children I already had.

I worry about the psychological welfare of women like me who must make those impossible choices without any support, like I did. To lose Corrado in a different way brought back a lot of those feelings. I still suffer after the Supreme Court decision. I see it as a slippery slope of other rights that now are in jeopardy.

Source: https://www.cnn.com/interactive/2022/08/us/women-challenges-2022/

How much do you grieve? How many children in one state are the same age as my boyfriend’s son, and how many he and I have?

Nineteen children in one state the same age as my boyfriend’s son were killed in a school shooting. We’ve been trying to shield him from all this because he just turned nine. How can I reassure him that he will be OK in school? I’m terrified and tormented by our lack of connection to our collective grief.

My son wasn’t killed in a mass shooting. He died from a mass poisoning, but the grief of a parent is tremendous and universal. That is also true of a woman who, for whatever reason, is in the position to have to make the heartbreaking choice to end her pregnancy. These are hard times for a woman as they are filled with pain and fear.

If you or someone you know needs help, you can call the free, confidential helpline of the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration at 1-800-662-HELP (4357) for referrals and information.