Brenda M. Pereda

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As an obstetrician-gynecologist, I can say with certainty that facts about abortion matter — and how words are interwoven matter, too.

I am going to provide a few examples of the danger of politicians exerting their moral views on reproductive health that impact the lives of women, particularly in the US with the highest rates of maternal mortality of any high resource country.

If pregnant people and a medical procedure are going to be used as fodder for politics, we must get the medical science and facts right. That means relying on medical professionals for their expertise, not on politicians who use stigma, shame and inflammatory language to prevent women from getting the care they need. Medical care decisions must be between the patient and their provider.

We can start by using accurate language and terminology. Phrases like, "abortion up until birth" and "late-term abortion” are not medical definitions or medical practices, yet utilized in ideologically motivated talking points to trigger a visceral reaction to mislead the public. This language is politically biased and inaccurate; what is real is that every patient has a different circumstance, and every pregnancy has a unique timeline.

It's important to understand that abortion is extremely safe. This is precisely why the Supreme Court struck down the Texas Targeted Regulation of Abortion Provider law in 2016. These laws have never been about making abortion safer. They are strategic ideology cloaked in a biased moral perspective that only makes abortion difficult to access. In fact, a first-trimester abortion is one of the safest procedures in the medical field.

In Ohio, a bill would require physicians to attempt to re-implant ectopic pregnancies, a situation where a fertilized egg implants outside of the uterus. First-off, an ectopic pregnancy is not viable, and most require active management by a physician. If left untreated, it can lead to life-threatening complications, including a ruptured fallopian tube, internal hemorrhage, and even death. To propose a re-implantation is not medically feasible and an excellent example of ignorance of the physiology of ectopic pregnancy and the dangers of medical decision-making by people with no medical training. The mere thought of this is absurd and could lead to major tragedy.

In the same vein, an abortion cannot be "reversed," although several states have tried to force health care providers to tell patients otherwise. This is a false claim that is unsupported by the best scientific evidence. Any legislation that requires health care providers to inform patients that "abortion reversal" is possible again is based on medically inaccurate information and is a violation of the ethical and legal obligations of health care providers.

It's important to understand that there is no "good" abortion or "bad" abortion. A recent study found that people are nuanced and seek abortion care for many reasons. There are also steep consequences for women who cannot get an abortion. Choices people make are personal, and as physicians, our obligation is to give patients full and accurate medical information about their options, just the way we do in any other aspect of health care.

This is why the Trump Administration's gag rule on health care providers who receive Title X family planning funds preventing them from providing abortion referrals is wrong and insidious. It is a war on young people, people of color, low-income families, and all those who need quality reproductive health care.

Passing abortion bans and restrictions not founded on medical evidence is profoundly dangerous and violates the contract between patient and physician.

Dr. Brenda Pereda is a practicing OBGYN in New Mexico