NC obstetrician: I’m challenging NC’s confusing, contradictory abortion law | Opinion

Growing up in a small town in western North Carolina, I developed important values from my family, my community and my faith: Compassion, integrity, kindness, justice, optimism.

Aside from a few years outside of the U.S. serving as a Peace Corps volunteer, I have lived my whole life in North Carolina. I completed my medical training and raised my family here. I developed a career offering comprehensive obstetric and gynecologic care to the patients of our state and I’m proud to call North Carolina my home.

My values have strongly influenced my advocacy for the patients I serve. As a physician, I bear witness to the suffering of patients I encounter. Seeing people suffer needlessly fuels my passion to make things better, to fight for what is just.

In this last year after the fall of Roe v. Wade, I’ve seen the reproductive freedoms of North Carolinians diminish month by month, culminating with the passage of Senate Bill 20 in May.

It is heartbreaking to see this strict abortion legislation become law, knowing that in just a few days — on July 1 — it will impact patients I care for every day. This includes an increasing number of patients who travel from out of state to seek care because the laws are even more strict where they live.

I’ve seen patients from as far away as Alabama, driving through the night and sleeping in parking lots because they can’t afford a hotel room. I’ve cared for people living in poverty and struggling to care for the children they already have, unable to imagine how they will be able to afford another pregnancy. I’ve seen patients whose pregnancies extended into the second trimester because they needed to cobble together money for care, as Medicaid does not cover abortions. I’ve seen patients fearful of the risks pregnancy might bring to their health. Every story is unique. Every story is important.

Over the past few weeks whenever I met a new patient, I have considered whether I would be able to provide care for someone in similar circumstances after July 1, when SB20 becomes law. Did they know they were pregnant soon enough to meet the arbitrary 12-week limit? Are they sick enough to qualify for the medical exceptions? Are they able to make the multiple in-person visits the law requires?

Pregnancy is not without risk. We all know someone who faced a life threatening or dangerous pregnancy and our country is currently facing a maternal mortality crisis.

As a physician, I must care for each person, appreciating their unique circumstances. Each patient who trusts me with their story also trusts that I will provide the best, evidence-based care possible. Senate Bill 20 does the contrary, putting in place hurdles that are counter to science-based recommendations from many major medical organizations. The bill also lacks clarity, with contradictory and confusing language, making it hard for doctors and lawyers to interpret.

As a physician advocate, it has been important for me to speak up for patients as they share their stories behind the exam room door. Their stories have broken my heart. Their gratitude is awe-inspiring and gives me hope. For those who cannot get abortion care because of SB20, their futures are uncertain.

We know that patients who are turned away from abortion care experience increased rates of poverty, depression, intimate partner violence, and even death.

There are many areas of medicine where we don’t have a remedy for suffering and illness, where bearing witness and providing compassion are the only tools we have. Knowing that I will be turning patients away from care when I have the skills and knowledge to help alter their life course in a positive direction is counter to all the values that I grew up learning in small town North Carolina.

As a physician advocate, I have a moral duty to fight for what is just, to support my patients’ freedom to control their health. When access to care is taken away, I will continue to fiercely advocate for what is right. I will continue to bear witness with kindness and compassion. I look forward to a future where the next generation of North Carolinians have their freedoms restored.

This story was originally published June 27, 2023 at 6:00 AM.