Don't Let Doctors Lie to Women About Their Health Risks
It's time to act. Arizona's state senate has already passed a bill that allows doctors to withhold crucial information about prenatal problems from the very women they are supposed to be caring for. This bill means a woman might not learn that her child has severe birth defects until AFTER the child is born.
But it gets even worse.
The bill also allows doctors to withhold information that threatens the life of the patient herself--such as ectopic pregnancies, which often require an abortion to save the life of the pregnant woman.
Imagine a small child learning that his mother has a health problem--only after she dies in the hospital emergency room. Families would have no recourse, since the gag law effectively allows doctors to put their own moral standard in front of the very lives of their patients.
This is a stunning example of misogyny that must be halted immediately. Tell Arizona's state reps to strike down this appalling law!
We the undersigned ask that you summarily strike down the "wrongful birth" bill. This bill is totally immoral. It proposes that women learn of birth defects only after a child is born--instead of having time to prepare as well as decide which course of action is best for her family. Even worse, this bill allows doctors to withhold information about a pregnancy that could kill a woman. It also prevents the victim's family from being able to sue doctors who allow women to die of preventable pregnancy complications.
