I went to an ACOG conference last Saturday. I swept past several contraceptive companies and IVF providers, and dodged the free demos of IUDs that were being given out to the medical students. Even so, most of the booths were encouraging: a new women's hospital was opening, a cord-blood bank was giving out stuff, and a lab company was showing off their pap-smear swabs right across from a da Vinci robot (which I got to play with!!!). I think this is because my district of ACOG is rather conservative.
Nationally speaking, ACOG seems very misled morally. Take a look at Committee Opinion 385, drafted in 2007 and reaffirmed last year. Other interesting ACOG opinions:
- Understanding and Using the U.S. Medical Eligibility Criteria for Contraceptive Use
- Forming a Just Health Care System
- The Obstetric-Gynecologic Hospitalist
- Increasing Use of Contraceptive Implants and Intrauterine Devices to Reduce Unintended Pregnancy
- Menstrual Manipulation for Adolescents with Disabilities
- Induced Abortion and Breast Cancer Risk
- Abortion Access and Training
- Misoprostol for Postabortion Care
- Hormone Therapy and Heart Disease
- End-of-Life Decision Making
- Surgery and Patient Choice
Committee Opinion 385 is terrifying.
ReplyDeleteMy favorite is the idea of "ethically appropriate limits of conscientious refusal." Okay, so I can refuse to do something because of my ethics, but only if.... my ethics don't disagree with theirs. Great.
"Terrifying" is exactly the word. I read it and shiver. Then I get angry. Then I feel sad for physicians and patients.
ReplyDeleteToday, it's mostly the anger that is staying with me. There are so many flaws in basic logic (like the one you outlined), and people (like post-abortive parents, unborn children, and the staff of abortion clinics) are suffering for it.