In the late 1800s, the American Medical Association invented the anti-abortion movement, but over time, its ceased to advocate on either side of the debate — until a bizarre 1997 statement supporting a GOP bill banning late-stage abortions (later revealed to be a “blunder” on the part of the trustees), after which the group returned to silence.
Now, the AMA is taking a stand again: against the slew of GOP state-level anti-abortion measures that are designed to put Roe v Wade before the new Supreme Court, whose two illegitimate Trump-appointed Conservative justices are expected to vote to overturn the landmark decision that legalized abortion in America in 1973.
So why has the AMA come down off the fence? There are a number of factors at play:
* This is the first year in medical history in which all of the AMA’s elected officials are women;
* The state GOP anti-abortion bills require doctors to lie to patients, advising them (for example) that medication abortions are reversible, or to falsely state that there is a link between abortion and breast-cancer or depression;
* The Trump administration has created new rules that directly target AMA members’ ability to receive federal funding for elements of their practice that touch on family planning;
* Public support for abortion rights is at an all-time high (remember, the only real American polarization is between a tiny elite in Washington and everyone else in the country).
AMA Abortion Lawsuit Puts Doctors In The Thick Of Debate
[Julie Rovner/Kaiser Health News]
(via Naked Capitalism)
(Image:
Lorie Shaull, CC-BY-SA)