MADISON, Wis. – Yesterday, Dr. Kristin Lyerly, a Wisconsin OB-GYN, penned an op-ed in the Cap Times blasting Republican politicians for attacking Roe v. Wade and access to abortion.
Key Points:
The Cap Times: Opinion | A few right-wing extremists shouldn’t dictate women’s health care
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Abortion is health care — no ruling from any court is going to change that.
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As an obstetrician-gynecologist, I know firsthand that doctors, nurses and health care providers are the experts. Throughout our training, we are taught the art and science of patient care and how to best provide for our patients. And yet I am writing this today because politicians have decided they are more qualified to speak on behalf of our patients than we are.
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Abortion is not a political matter, it’s a medical one, and for many patients, it’s a life-saving option. Inserting politics into reproductive health care is detrimental to people’s health and threatens the sacred patient-physician relationship.
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People need to have access to safe and legal abortions. We know what will happen if they don’t — people will die, families will be torn apart, and poverty will worsen. This will disproportionately impact people of color and low-income people, as well as those who live in rural communities, often those who need access to health care the most. Politicians such as Sen. Ron Johnson have suggested that if people do not like their state-mandated laws on abortion “you can move.” For most Wisconsinites, this is simply not true. Not everyone will be able to afford to travel out of state or seek abortion services outside of the U.S. — and more importantly, no one should have to.
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- …Should Roe v. Wade be overturned, Wisconsin’s antiquated abortion ban will go into effect. To the Republicans who have supported and advocated for this: Stop attacking people’s right to make their own decisions about their reproductive health.
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