"It is important to remember that Roe v. Wade did not mean that abortions could be performed. They have always been done, dating from ancient Greek days.
What Roe said was that ending a pregnancy could be carried out by medical personnel, in a medically accepted setting, thus conferring on women, finally, the full rights of first-class citizens — and freeing their doctors to treat them as such."
-Waldo L. Fielding, an obstetrician and gynecologist in Boston for 38 years. Dr. Fielding was writing in a NYT article about the aftermath of illegal abortions he witnessed as a physician.
As a physician of TCM, and a healer, I see access to safe, legal abortion as a crucial part of a healthy society. One in which women's choices and agency are respected, and both men and women have the freedom and ability to make decisions about the course of their lives, including family planning, sexuality, career, living situation, travel, and so on, without interference from legal, corporate, or religious authorities. Choice and access in health care means healthier individuals, families, communities, and nations. It means access to quality, affordable care, and freedom to choose so-called 'alternatives' such as herbal medicine, acupuncture, midwifery and so on.
Health and wellness flourish in conditions of freedom. Lack of agency, lack of opportunity and lack of control over one's body, are fundamentally antithetical to health. Let me close by quoting Justice Blackmun, author of the Roe V. Wade decision. I couldn't have put it better myself. Let us indeed focus on promoting the conditions which truly foster maternal health, the flourishing of life, and the well-being of the women, men, and children in our communities.
The states are not free, under the guise of protecting maternal health or potential life, to intimidate women into continuing pregnancies. -Justice Harry A. Blackmun, Roe v. Wade, 22 January 1973
Zay gezunt! May you be well!
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