Legislators Are Attempting to Nix Abortions From Med School Education

If legislators have their way, your next crop of doctors in North Carolina may not know how to perform an abortion. Photo via Flickr user Sage Ross

As if healthcare wasn’t haywire enough, Republican legislators out of North Carolina are attempting to strong arm their way into a woman’s right to choose with a bill proposed this month that would prohibit abortions from being performed or even observed in medical school departments in their state. Because of course we should limit the medical know-how of our future doctors, right?

Jessica Valenti of the Guardian rightfully spouted off at the gall of these anti-choice politicians trying to impose their personal view on the whole of a state and insert themselves into a profession that should be as thoroughly instructed as humanly possible:

Whether a practicing doctor provides abortions is and should be entirely their decision. But teaching medical students how to perform the procedure doesn’t mean that they will automatically go on to provide abortions as a part of their regular medical practice. It would mean, however, that doctors would be able to choose to do so, and that, should an emergency arise that necessitates a knowledge of abortion procedures, those doctors would be prepared to help their patient rather than be in the dark because of a draconian law.

The idea that legislators are plotting to inject bureaucracy into an institution that should be devoid of personal opinion and focus entirely on education is appalling. But those who oppose pro-choice are gathering steam by any means necessary. The Guardian points out that “abortion providers have decreased 38 percent between 1982 and 2005,” largely aided by a tried-and-true arsenal of harassment and violence that doctors and clinics who offer the service frequently suffer.

Here’s hoping that reproductive rights win out in the end.