As a family practice physician for 35 years who has cared for women of all ages and delivered babies in the past, I am obligated to dispel some of the UNTRUTHS being told about KY constitutional amendment 2 (A-2) by radio and TV ads (some funded by radical out-of-state liberals) and by people like V.L. Quisenberry (VLQ) in a recent opinion piece:
- 1) A-2 in NO way “strips away the right to bodily autonomy”— an unborn baby’s body is NOT part of the woman’s body: it has its own unique DNA from conception and has its own right to life and bodily autonomy as each of us has.
- 2) A-2 in NO way takes away “basic human rights to essential medical care from millions” or “deny access to CRITICAL medical services”
- A) A woman who has a “missed abortion” or “incomplete abortion” — where a developing baby dies in the womb but is not expelled from the body (NOT the same as actively taking the life of an unborn baby with a beating heart) will always be able to have a D&C and other essential medical care by her physician, as is a woman who needs a D&C for ongoing bleeding after a delivery of her infant
- B) A woman with a tubal (ectopic) pregnancy, where the embryo implants and develops in the fallopian tube or outside the uterus (which is incompatible with life for the baby and could jeopardize the mother’s life) will ALWAYS be able to get medical care to remove that baby to save her life, and her physician will NOT be penalized for doing so
The women in true emergencies like the above will NOT die due to A-2! These arguments are fear tactics from those who desire ready access to all types of elective abortions, often at taxpayer expense. The VAST MAJORITY of the millions of abortions since 1973 have been ELECTIVE ones, not emergencies.
As for rape and incest: these are vile crimes which cause inexplicable trauma to their victims and do in a small number of cases result in unwanted pregnancies. I in no way want to minimize that. (Nor do I want to neglect to mention the fact that God, the Author of life, forgives those who have had abortions and restores their beauty and worth). But the fact is that these are human beings who can be loved and cared for by extended or adoptive families, and the taking of their lives by abortion cheapens the value of life even more.
This is why it is critical that we: VOTE YES on Amendment 2 on Nov 8!
Written by
Lauren Bickel, MD
