To the editor: First, let’s distinguish what is and what is not an abortion. An abortion is the termination of a viable pregnancy for medical or personal reasons. The proper treatment of an ectopic pregnancy is not an abortion, because the embryo is not viable. (“Dozens of Pregnant Women, Some Bleeding or in Labor, Turned Away from Emergency Rooms Despite Federal Law,” August 12)
Yes, the diagnosis of an ectopic pregnancy, which can have devastating consequences for the patient, is not always clear. Inserting a needle into the abdominal cavity (something easily done in an emergency room) can determine whether there is blood, which would constitute a surgical emergency. I remember one woman whose doctor delayed her surgery; she died of internal bleeding as she was finally being placed on the operating table.
I find it inconceivable that an emergency doctor would send a patient suspected of having an ectopic pregnancy to the hospital because the doctor is afraid of a possible prison sentence.
Texas law protects doctors from prosecution for terminating an ectopic pregnancy, even if the diagnosis is incorrect. Still, I blame Texas and other states for instilling this fear in doctors because of their zeal to stop all abortions, despite lawmakers' lack of medical knowledge about the repercussions of their edicts.
Do we want the fate of these women and girls to be in the hands of these ideological politicians and anti-abortion fanatics? Or do we want it in the hands of doctors who know the reality of this country and know how to save the lives of their patients?
Dr. J. Kelly Mantis, Manhattan Beach
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To the editor: The Associated Press article about women being sent home from emergency rooms while suffering from miscarriages and ectopic pregnancies ran on page A4 of the print edition. It should have been on the front page.
This religion-based idiocy perpetrated in Republican states by the supposedly pro-family party has resulted in women possibly losing their ability to have children because doctors and hospitals are afraid of violating these anti-abortion laws.
Please think twice before voting for the Republican Party.
Janet Cerswell, Rancho Cucamonga
