26 Isabel Payne – Doctors, Clinicians & OB/GYN’s

Isabel Payne (she/her) is a sophomore majoring in English. She is from Sheridan, Indiana. This is an analytical report she wrote for Professor Holcomb’s W231-15524 Professional Writing Skills course in fall 2023. Professor Rena Holcomb notes, “Isabel’s report showcases tremendous effort and research in a topic which is not only timely but is of utmost importance.”

Doctors, Clinicians & OB/GYN’s

How Banning Abortion Affects Doctors: Banning abortions puts healthcare workers at risk of losing their jobs, where they are unable to provide safe abortions with a lack of medical supplies, a lack of proper practice, and a lack of support; individuals who resort to using unsafe practices of abortions may be at risk for post-abortion care, prosecution, and possible imprisonment (Amnesty International, 2022). Doctors are now facing attorney fees if doctors need to terminate a pregnancy in order to save a carrier’s life, in which malpractice insurance does not cover criminal defense, as well as potentially losing their license and facing imprisonment if they violate the law. Along with doctors and their patients, abortion facilities are also at risk of potentially shutting down (Fox, 2023, p. 1769).

Justice Medical Staff: Despite restrictions or complete abortion bans before and during the twenty-first century, many individuals provided abortion care, medication, and procedures for individuals who needed them.

Ann Trow Lohman:  In the 1800s, Ann Trow Lohman openly advertised types of abortion procedures in New York City. Although she was not medically trained, she did sell contraception, remedies that according to folklore contained ailments that could cause an abortion, and also offered surgical abortion if the remedies did not work. Her work was not disturbed until abortion bans began to take into effect, where she was arrested and later committed suicide in 1878 (Stevenson, 2019, p. 20).

Dorthea Palmer: Dorthea Palmer, a social worker, was arrested in 1936 for providing contraceptive information, but mentioned, “… I may get a few months in prison for it. In view of the desperate conditions I have seen in the homes I’ve visited, I would most certainly do the same thing again the moment I was liberated” (Stevenson, 2019, p. 21).

Jane Hodgson:  Jane Hodgson was one of the few women who worked as an OB/GYN in the 1960s. In 1970, Nancy Widmyer, a married mother of three children, was seeking an abortion after she had been diagnosed with a form of measles, which could have seriously affected the fetus had she carried any longer. She sought out Jane Hodgson for help, and together, they went to Minnesota’s federal court to change the anti-abortion laws. However, the law did not change, so Jane Hodgson personally scheduled and performed an abortion on Nancy. These actions led to Jane getting arrested. However, her “guilty” charges were eventually dropped, and she continued to be an activist for women’s reproductive rights (Stevenson, 2019, p. 40).

Willie Parker: Willie Parker, chair of the board of Physicians for Reproductive Health, leader of the Religious Coalition for Reproductive Choice (Stevenson, 2019, p. 124), and an African American doctor, grew up within a Christian community that publicly shamed and dismissed individuals who had abortions, so when he started his medical career, he refused to perform abortions. However, as discrimination and restrictions over rights became more apparent, he started to agree that individuals deserve the right to choose to have an abortion (Stevenson, 2019, p. 123). In 2002, while working at a clinic in Hawaii, the administrator of the clinic announced that they were no longer going to offer abortion services, restricting abortion services to those who could only afford a private physician. Parker made the comment, “… it wasn’t acceptable to deny them a safe and legal procedure” (Stevenson, 2019, p. 124). In revolt, he started to learn how to perform proper abortions within the states of Georgia, Alabama and Mississippi (Stevenson, 2019, p. 124). He made the comment, “As an African American man descended from slaves in the South, it is too easy for me to imagine what it’s like to have no control over your body, your destiny, your life … I believe as an abortion provider I am doing God’s work. Performing abortions, and speaking out on the behalf of the women who want abortions, is my calling. It’s my life’s work” (Stevenson, 2019, p. 125).

Henry Morgentaler: Henry Morgentaler, a Polish man from Canada, as well as a Holocaust survivor who dealt with imprisonment in the concentration camps, graduated from a medical school in Montreal and became a family doctor. He publicly agreed that carriers deserved to have the right to access safe and legal abortion procedures, which prompted many women to seek him out for assistance. At first, he refused to perform abortions out of fear of losing his job, but when many Montreal women risked their lives in order to have an abortion, in 1968, he started to perform illegal abortions to oppose the anti-abortion laws. By 1973, he had performed five thousand abortions. He eventually was arrested and was tried three times within the provincial court of Quebec, where every time, he was found not guilty by the court, as he defended his case by acknowledging that his job was to serve his patients with the best of care, with some of his former patients testifying for his case (Stevenson, 2019, p. 45). Despite his defense, his non-guilty charges, the jury’s approval, as well as his patients’ testimonies, he was sentenced to eighteen months in prison. Morgentaler only served ten out of the eighteen months in prison, but his sentencing caused him to suffer from a heart attack and deal with a large amount of debt due to the legal battles (Stevenson, 2019, p. 47).

Morgentaler’s Clinics: In May of 1983, Henry Morgentaler opened an abortion clinic in Winnipeg, but within a month, police raided the clinic, where they arrested Morgentaler and seven other individuals (Stevenson, 2019, p. 51). In July of 1983, Morgentaler connected with the Canadian Association for the Repeal of the Abortion Law and with the Ontario Coalition for Abortion Clinics to create an abortion clinic within Toronto. However, only after three weeks of the clinic being open, the government charged Morgentaler, Dr. Robert Scott and Dr. Leslie Smoling for violating the law, where the police confiscated their files and medical equipment, but the clinic remained open. The three doctors were found not guilty by the jury, but the court was determined to find Morgentaler guilty, despite the fact that Morgentalter admitted himself to going against the law by performing abortions. In 1985, the Ontario Court of Appeal created a new trial of the 1983 case, with the court arguing that there was unfairness within the jury, but Morgentaler appealed to the Supreme Court of Canada. While he was awaiting the decision of the Supreme Court, he was arrested once again on September 24th, 1986, along with Dr. Robert Scott and Nicki Colondy, an individual who worked with abortion services (Stevenson, 2019, p. 52). In 1992, Morgentaler’s abortion clinic was bombed (Stevenson, 2019, p. 60).

Clinic 554: Within New Brunswick, specifically within Fredericton, a private abortion clinic called the Morgentaler Abortion Clinic was closed after Morgentaler’s death, leaving residents within the area to have to travel hours to receive an abortion within other areas (Stevenson, 2019, p. 135). However, the building was reopened and renamed to Clinic 554, where doctors who previously worked with Morgentaler came to work for the clinic (Stevenson, 2019, p. 136).

Abortion Counseling Service of Women’s Liberation: From 1969 to 1973, over one hundred women from Chicago joined this group. The members of the group provided advice and offered money in order to cover the cost of an abortion procedure. However, when the members learned that the carriers were being scammed and horribly mistreated by some of the doctors, who were sometimes drunk, medically uneducated, or even demanded sex as a form of payment, the members sought to learn how to perform proper abortion procedures themselves. The abortions that the members provided were similar to that of our medically performed abortions today, while providing a safe and accessible environment (Stevenson, 2019, p. 35).

Pew Research Statistics: Based on a PewResearch study, different groups of genders, religions, races, ages, and political views presented what they believe should be done to medical professionals, as well as what should be done to the carriers:

• 47% of individuals believe women should be punished if they have an abortion within a banned state, with 14% believing a carrier should serve jail time and 16% believing that a carrier needs to serve community service. However, 50% do not agree with this statement (PEW RESEARCH CENTER, 2022).
• 20% of adults who do agree that abortion should be legal also believe that doctors need to be punished if they perform an abortion unethically or perform an abortion within a banned-abortion state. 31% of adults believe that doctors who perform abortions unethically or within a banned-abortion state should lose their medical license. 25% of adults believe that medical staff should serve jail time if they perform abortions within a banned-abortion state. 18% of adults believe that doctors should serve community service (PEW RESEARCH CENTER, 2022).
• 52% of men believe women should be punished if they have an abortion, and 64% of men believe the doctors should be punished if they perform an abortion (PEW RESEARCH CENTER, 2022).
• 21% of Republicans believe women should be punished if they have an abortion, and 40% believe doctors need to be punished if they perform an abortion. They also believe doctors and medical professionals should face some sort of punishment if they perform abortions within banned-abortion states, with 25% believing doctors should be jailed, and 17% believing doctors need to serve community service (PEW RESEARCH CENTER, 2022).

The Deaths of Abortion Doctors: Some religious and political individuals believe that abortion practice ends the life of the fetus, therefore, it is considered to be murder. However, do they take into consideration the fact that multiple well-known doctors have lost their lives for trying to serve their patients ethically? During the 1980’s, anti-abortionists started to vandalize abortion clinics, threatened clinic staff and doctors, and attacked individuals who came to these clinics. As these groups grew, the more violent they became, killing doctors and even bombing abortion clinics (Stevenson, 2019, p. 59).

Barnett Slepian: In 1998, abortion provider Barnett Slepian was shot and unfortunately died at his home in Buffalo, New York. Slepian’s murderer was not only charged for Slepian’s death, but also for a shooting in Canada, and is suspected of being responsible for other shootings (Stevenson, 2019, p. 60).

Dr. George Tiller: Dr. George Tiller, who had already survived the bombing of his clinic in 1986 and survived being shot at in 1993, was tragically murdered by an anti-abortion extremist, while Tiller was serving as an usher for his church within the state of Kansas (Stevenson, 2019, p. 60).

Dr. Garson Romalis: Dr. Garson Romalis, a Canadian physician and abortion provider, similar to Tiller’s case, dealt with and survived many dangerous attacks. In 1994, after studying and practicing medicine for thirty years, he was shot in his home, where he dealt with critical conditions and nearly succumbed to his injuries. After two years of rehabilitation, he continued to practice medicine and provided abortions. However, six years later, he was stabbed at a clinic he worked at, but fortunately only suffered minor injuries. After months of healing, he came back to work, still providing abortions despite restricted policies. He mentioned, “It is hard for me to understand how someone could think I should be killed for helping women get safe abortions… These acts of terrorist violence have affected virtually every aspect of… my family’s life” (Stevenson, 2019, p. 60). Despite the severe hardships, he continued to provide abortion procedures until he died of an illness at the age seventy-six in 2014 (Stevenson, 2019, p. 60).

Dr. David Gunn: In 1993, Doctor David Gunn, who provided abortion services, was murdered by an anti-abortion extremist (Stevenson, 2019, p. 59).

Medical Students for Choice: In 1993, the Medical Students for Choice was started in honor of Dr. David Gunn and other doctors who had lost their lives to anti-abortion violence. This organization also provides abortion information and training to medical students. This organization has over ten thousand members in over two hundred medical schools across the world (Stevenson, 2019, p. 62).

Our Future Doctors:  Physicians and applicants are at risk by state-legislature restricting proper physician and patient services with procedures and information on abortion. This has affected the number of applicants in residency. In 2023, the amount of senior medical students that applied for medical residency declined by 7.4% within states that have enforced abortion-ban restrictions or have complete blockage on abortion. According to the Association of American Medical Colleges Research and Action Institute, their 2023 study on OB/GYN residency program applicants dropped 10.5% within states that have a complete ban on abortion. In 2023, residential applicants who specialize in family medicine declined by 7.4%, and residential applicants who specialize in gestational care declined by 4% within states with complete blockage over abortion. These declines are due to a lack of proper relationships between patients and physicians who do not feel safe to train or perform safe abortions within banned abortion states (Huffstetler, 2023). If this keeps occurring, abortion care will continuously become less accessible and safe.

References

Amnesty International. “Key Facts on Abortion” Amnesty International, 2022, https://www.amnesty.org/en/what-we-do/sexual-and-reproductive-rights/abortion-facts/. Accessed 4 Oct 2023.

Fox, D. “The Abortion Double Bind.” American Journal of Public Health, 2023, https://research-ebsco-com.proxyeast.uits.iu.edu/linkprocessor/plink?id=5663ec9a-8b2c-37c1-855c-1e1a59c7216b. Accessed 27 Oct. 2023.

Huffstetler, Alison, et al. “Family Medicine Residency Applications Declined More Precipitously in States With Abortion Restrictions.” American Family Physician, 2023, https://research-ebsco-com.proxyeast.uits.iu.edu/linkprocessor/plink?id=51bd0d05-6278-3999-871e-4dacc0bd2302. Accessed 27 Oct 2023.

PEWS RESEARCH CENTER. “Americans’ views on whether, and in what circumstances, abortion should be legal.” Pew Research Center’s Religion & Public Life Project, 6 May 2022, https://www.pewresearch.org/religion/2022/05/06/americans-views-on-whether-and-in-what-circumstances-abortion-should-be-legal/. Accessed 4 Oct 2023.

Stevenson, Robinson. My Body, My Choice: The Fight for Abortion Rights. Orca Issues, 2019.