Cross-posted original commentary written by Avanthi Jayaweera, MD, Graduate Trustee, AMSA Board of Trustees, published in NC Policy Watch on March 22, 2023
North Carolina physician: Proposed abortion restrictions threaten the practice of medicine
Bills that elevate politics over science, research and training are an attack on the integrity of the medical profession
As a doctor about to finish residency after multiple years of training, I have never been so worried about the future of medical practice. As a family doctor, I routinely provide comprehensive health services, including abortion care. GOP members want to waste time talking about abortion restrictions when the real problem is restricting patients’ access to health care. Our profession today is facing a crisis; not because we don’t have the skills, nor the resources, but because politics has entered the exam room.
Our state lawmakers are working to pass new state laws that would prevent physicians from providing the best and most comprehensive care to North Carolinians.
Our state lawmakers are proposing abortion restrictions that have no basis in clinical medicine. Instead of leaning on the guidance of up-to-date research, clinical guidelines, medical boards and doctors, our state lawmakers are being swayed by politics and are putting patient care at risk. They are pushing health care providers to ignore the best evidence and are asking us to provide substandard care. The next generation of new physicians will not stand for this.
