Letter: Missouri politicians should leave medical care to doctors
As seen in the St. Louis Post-Dispatch
I am a full scope OB/Gyn who has practiced for over 20 years in the state of Missouri. I care for women in every phase of reproductive care from family planning, pregnancy prevention, infertility, pregnancy and postpartum care. Since the Dobbs decision and the subsequent “trigger ban” in Missouri, the fear of people in reproductive years has been palpable.
Since the ban in 2022, patients are deciding not to have children because of the risks of being a pregnant person in our state. They are requesting tubal ligation in growing numbers, considering moving their IVF treatments to Illinois, and crossing the border when they encounter bleeding in their pregnancies all with the same desire for self determination and bodily autonomy. In brief, they are afraid for their lives in Missouri.
As providers, we are prevented from providing compassionate care when a patient with a desired pregnancy has a significant complication. Until life is hanging in the balance, we are not permitted to prioritize a mother over her fetus who will never survive outside the womb.
Missouri, before the ban, ranked woefully low in maternal and infant mortality. In every state with reproductive healthcare bans, morbidity and mortality have declined, and we are part of this trend. For these reasons, the hundreds of providers around the state who comprise Missouri Healthcare Professionals for Reproductive Rights stand in full support of the amendment proposed by Missourians for Constitutional Freedom. Leave medical decision making to doctors and patients and not politicians.
Jennifer Smith
Creve Coeur
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