August, 06 2024, 01:04pm EDT
430 Health Care Providers Ask President Biden to Act Now
Today, Physicians for Reproductive Health sent a letter to President Joe Biden, Vice President Kamala Harris, and lawmakers in support of abortion care and gender affirming care. Signed by 430 health care professionals, the letter asks that in the final months of the Administration, they prioritize the needs of people who need abortions and gender affirming care with bold policy solutions, not a return to frameworks like Roethat never met our needs. Read the letter in its entirety.
In response to the letter, Dr. Jamila Perritt, President & CEO of Physicians for Reproductive Health issued the following statement:
“As an ob/gyn, I see patients daily who don’t feel safe and validated in their health care experiences. Whether they are seeking abortions, contraception, or gender-affirming care, patients face immense emotional and logistical challenges, navigating a maze of stigma, misinformation, and limited access to essential, life-saving health care. These struggles often lead to delayed care, increased health risks, poor health outcomes, and a profound sense of isolation. My patients deserve more.
“The Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe v. Wade has dramatically intensified these inequities, resulting in a surge of undesired or mistimed pregnancies, preventable health complications, and heightened barriers to accessing culturally responsive, community grounded care. Providers are now forced to travel to states without legal restrictions to practice and train, disrupting the continuity and availability of health care. This seismic shift is reshaping our health system, as emerging providers face obstacles in obtaining comprehensive reproductive health care training, leaving significant gaps in our ability to serve our communities. This must change.
In addition to advocating for policy change, we must first transform how we discuss this essential, life-saving care.
“To make matters worse, the use of stigmatizing language when discussing access to abortion later in pregnancy or about gender-affirming care for young people inflicts tremendous harm, particularly when such rhetoric comes from our nation’s leaders. The members of our communities who are most vulnerable to systemic and intersecting oppressions, including Black and Indigenous people of color, LGBTQIA2A+ folx, people living with disabilities, and those facing financial hardship, are disproportionately impacted by these restrictive policies and stigmatizing rhetoric. In addition to advocating for policy change, we must first transform how we discuss this essential, life-saving care. From adopting more inclusive and appropriate language, to centering the agency, autonomy, and privacy of patients seeking abortions and gender-affirming care, we must always prioritize the health and well-being of those we care for. We have an obligation to our communities to do so.
Unfortunately, Roe v. Wade was never enough to ensure our communities obtained the care they needed. It was, in fact, barely a starting point.
“Full-spectrum reproductive and gender-affirming health care are not only essential, life-saving services, but fundamental human rights. At PRH, we envision a world where every individual has access to comprehensive, compassionate, and evidence-based health care. In this world, decisions about one’s body are made by individuals, supported by trusted health care providers, family, and friends—not by politicians. Unfortunately, Roe v. Wade was never enough to ensure our communities obtained the care they needed. It was, in fact, barely a starting point. We must continue to advocate for more robust political solutions for those seeking abortions and gender-affirming care, regardless of locality, race, sex, gender, or socioeconomic status. Today, we are calling for bold and brave solutions that support individuals in seeking the care they need free of stigma, delays, and barriers.
As providers, it is our responsibility to offer compassionate health care and evidence-based advocacy, to support our patients to the best of our abilities, and ultimately, to build a future where everyone is positioned to thrive. It is my hope that this letter will inspire change within our current legislative landscape, centering the humanity and dignity of those at the margins of oppression.”
Physicians for Reproductive Health unites the medical community and concerned supporters. Together, we work to improve access to comprehensive reproductive health care, including contraception and abortion, especially to meet the health care needs of economically disadvantaged patients.
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United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres said Thursday that he is "deeply concerned" by Israel's "recent and extensive violations of Syria's sovereignty and territorial integrity," including a ground invasion and airstrikes carried out by the Israel Defense Forces in the war-torn Mideastern nation.
Guterres "is particularly concerned over the hundreds of Israeli airstrikes on several locations in Syria" and has stressed the "urgent need to de-escalate violence on all fronts throughout the country," said U.N. spokesperson Stephane Dujarric.
Israel claims its invasion and bombardment of Syria—which come as the United States and Turkey have also violated Syrian sovereignty with air and ground attacks—are meant to create a security buffer along the countries' shared border in the wake of last week's fall of former Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and amid the IDF's ongoing assault on Gaza, which has killed or wounded more than 162,000 Palestinians and is the subject of an International Court of Justice genocide case.
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Israel conquered the western two-thirds of the Golan Heights in 1967 and has illegally occupied it ever since, annexing the seized lands in 1981.
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Addressing the assassination of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson and conversations it has sparked about the country's for-profit system, longtime Medicare for All advocate Sen. Bernie Sanders on Wednesday condemned the murder and stressed that getting to universal coverage will require a movement challenging corporate money in politics.
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"The way we're going to bring about the kind of fundamental changes we need in healthcare is, in fact, by a political movement which understands the government has got to represent all of us, not just the 1%," the senator told Jacobin.
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In addition to highlighting Sanders' interview on social media, Congressman Ro Khanna (D-Calif.) pointed out to Business Insider on Wednesday that "you've got thousands of people that are sharing their stories of frustration" in the wake of Thompson's death.
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Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.)—a co-sponsor of Sanders' Medicare for All Act—similarly toldHuffPost in a Tuesday interview, "The visceral response from people across this country who feel cheated, ripped off, and threatened by the vile practices of their insurance companies should be a warning to everyone in the healthcare system."
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Reporters Without Borders' (RSF) 2024 roundup, which was published Thursday, found that at least 54 journalists were killed on the job or in connection with their work this year, and 18 of them were killed by Israeli armed forces (16 in Palestine, and two in Lebanon).
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Multiple journalists were also killed in Pakistan, Bangladesh, Mexico, Sudan, Myanmar, Colombia, and Ukraine, according to the report, and hundreds more were detained and are now behind bars in countries including Israel, China, and Russia.
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