LETTER: Killing Roe could impact future surgical training
With dismay, I read about the Supreme Court decision to overturn Roe v. Wade. I recently retired after practicing OB/GYN in Las Vegas for 20 years. During my residency, I received invaluable education on treatment of miscarriage and abortion. Surgical training gave me the confidence and ability to treat both conditions up to 24 weeks of gestation.
About 12 years ago, I received a call from a local emergency room in the middle of the night about a 15-week pregnant woman who was bleeding. She was in critical condition and needed to proceed with a surgical procedure to treat her miscarriage. Fortunately, I was able to perform the surgery without complications with limited resources at 4 a.m. The patient recovered and subsequently had another pregnancy which she was able to carry to term and deliver a healthy baby.
I fear that the future limited surgical training OB/GYN physicians will receive in treatment of abortion will have an impact for all pregnant women. I also strongly believe in a woman’s right to choose whether to continue a pregnancy, and that decision should be squarely between her and her physician. We must work to codify Roe into law.