Dr. Jen Gunter
war on women
6 reasons why Plan B should be available without an ID
The Food and Drug Administration just cleared Plan B for women ages 15 and up. Not only did the age limit get lowered, Plan B and its generic equivalents will be on the shelves with all the other over the counter medications. The caveat, you need ID. While I applaud the lowering the age limit … Continue reading
Dear Ireland, the answer to allowing medical necessary abortion isn’t an inquisition
The coroner and jury in the inquest into the death of Savita Halappanavar arrived at the same conclusions that I have long held: that the prohibitive Irish abortion law played a role. Ms. Halappanavar needed her uterus evacuated before Wednesday (preferably on the Monday), but under current Irish law a woman apparently has be waiting … Continue reading
Savita Halappanavar’s inquest: the three questions that must be answered
Savita Halappanavar was admitted at on a Sunday to Galway hospital at 17 weeks into her pregnancy with ruptured membranes, a dilated cervix, and an elevated white blood cell count (a marker of infection). It is clear that her diagnosis was chorioamnionitis, an infection of the fetal membranes. When left untreated the bacteria of chorioamnionitis march … Continue reading
North Dakota, the irony of aiming for illegal abortions and cheap cigarettes
North Dakota state legislators sent two highly restrictive abortion bills to the governor to sign: banning all abortions at 6 weeks and banning all abortions for genetic anomalies. Rep. Bette Grande introduced the bills, because apparently she looks at legislation “from the life side of things.” Except smokers. Grande and North Dakota legislators aren’t concerned … Continue reading
If Roe v. Wade were overturned many states would immediately ban abortion. Is your state one of them?
January 22nd is the 40th anniversary of Roe v. Wade, the landmark Supreme Court decision that legalized abortion. Despite surviving many challenges, Roe is precarious given the GOP push to get conservatives justices appointed. While the majority of americans support legal abortion, abortion is such a political weapon that Roe could theoretically be overturned, and then … Continue reading
Can Georgia law force a woman to have a c-section for a non viable, premature fetus?
The new crop of laws in the Unites States using the premise of “fetal pain” to restrict abortion can only be described as unscience (an Orwellian theme that sadly fits). The latest is the new Georgia abortion law HB 954, which the OB/GYN Society of Georgia states is “murky” and difficult to interpret. HB 954 … Continue reading
7 reasons Romney and Ryan are not pro-life
Romney and Ryan have confirmed their “pro-life” platform as have Akin, Mourdock et. al. (the list of GOP candidates who are over eager to be the “best most pro-life politician ever” is really too long). However, I am having a hard time accepting their “pro-life” commitment. I mean, if they were really “pro-life” wouldn’t they … Continue reading
The Affordable Care Act facilitates State-level abortion restrictions
The Affordable Care Act (ACA) legislation regarding abortion does not take effect until 2014. Under the ACA, insurers who participate in health insurance exchanges will be free to offer plans with abortion services or not. Individual plans can also choose their degree of abortion coverage (life of mother/rape/incest, have broader coverage for genetic anomalies, or … Continue reading
Did Todd Akin get his misinformation on rape and pregnancy from Physicians for Life?
By now everyone knows that Congressman Todd Akin (Missouri’s 2nd District) thinks some rapes are legitimate and some are, well, apparently not legitimate. We also know that “what he understands from doctors” is that pregnancy from legitimate rape is “really rare” because women can block unwanted pregnancies through a stress response (“shut the whole thing … Continue reading
The medical nonsense and dangerous precedent of Mississippi’s abortion bill HB 1390
On July 1, 2012 House Bill 1390, signed into law by Governor Phil Bryant, will take effect. This law is designed to restrict the practice of medicine at abortion clinics to such a degree that no provider or clinic can meet the requirements. HB 1390 spells out it’s purpose very clearly in the first lines: … Continue reading
