Daniel
Herbster reporting
An
Indiana county is considering an ordinance which would, as the Journal
Gazette reports, “require all surgeons and doctors that provide outpatient
invasive procedures to have ties to a local hospital and have on-call,
after-hours staff to handle emergencies.”
Proponents of the measure say the ordinance would protect patient health,
especially women’s health. I interviewed
Cathie Humbarger of Allen County Right to
Life about the ordinance, particularly concerning its pro-life
implications.
DH: Cathie, thanks for taking to time to inform
our readers about the proposed ordinance in Allen County, Indiana. First of all, what does your work at Allen
County Right to Life involve and what kinds of things does ACRL work on?
CH: It’s
my pleasure, Dan. Thanks for inviting me.
Just to review: On January 22, 1973, the Supreme Court
legalized abortion in the United
States from conception through the ninth
month of pregnancy. Since that date, over 45 million abortions have been
performed at the rate of approximately one every 20 seconds. Right here in Fort Wayne approximately
fifteen abortions are completed each Thursday at the local abortion clinic.
In response to this situation, the Allen County Right
to Life Committee, Inc. was incorporated in March of 1976 and Three Rivers
Right to Life Educational Trust Fund, Inc. was founded in December of 1982 to
promote respect for innocent life from the moment of fertilization to natural
death. We agree with the self-evident truth that every human person is endowed
by their Creator with an unalienable right to life that must be defended. This
principle leads us to promote a culture of life in our community, which we
accomplish through education in the social, religious, legal, medical,
scientific and legislative fields. We also believe that abortion, infanticide,
and euthanasia are negative, violent and primitive responses to complex social
problems that demand genuine compassion and rational, responsible thinking.
Further, we denounce fetal stem-cell research and human cloning because they
involve the willful destruction of human life. We reject the notion that
society may destroy innocent life to solve any problem. Our approach has always
been non-violent and legal. One of our goals is to look for every opportunity
to influence the legislative and political process with policies that support
and protect pre-born babies and their mothers where otherwise they would have
no voice.
DH: What would this ordinance do?
CH:
The
Patient Safety ordinance requires physicians performing invasive medical
procedures in Allen
County to have admitting
privileges at a local hospital and give that information to their patients at
the time of the procedure. The admitting privileges process assures that the
physician meets specific standards established by the hospital regarding medical
competence. It also enhances the continuity of care for patients because it
sets up certain requirements for doctors not living in Fort Wayne and not connected to a local
practice. Admitting privileges require these doctors to have provisions for an
on-call physician to provide follow-up care at a local hospital for any patient
experiencing complications. Without this ordinance, there could be a delay in
treatment for patients with complications that exacerbates the problem.
Further, doctors performing invasive medical procedures in Allen County
would be subject to peer review of their work through Quality Assurance
Committees at a local hospital. These committees are staffed and led by other
physicians who review each complication and the performance of the physician.
Currently, doctors not living in the area often leave immediately after
performing an invasive procedure, and physicians providing care for a patient
with complications from that procedure have no access to the original physician
or his records. Complications are not tracked and reviewed to correct problems
and hold doctors accountable for mistakes to ensure improved care for future
patients.
DH: Why are you folks at Right to Life
particularly concerned about this ordinance?
CH: For
years we’ve been aware of post-procedure complications experienced by women
having abortions in Fort Wayne.
These abortions are performed by an abortion provider who lives out of state
and travels across Indiana
performing abortions in several cities. Thursdays are typically the day he
visits Fort Wayne.
We’ve heard one disturbing story after another regarding post-abortion
complications from those who staff crisis pregnancy centers and hospital
emergency rooms and the women themselves. These stories range from excessive
bleeding to infections – sometimes from fetal parts left in the uterus. In some
very critical cases hysterectomies were required to correct the situation. Often
these women are very young and the result is the loss of the ability to bear
children in the future. At the same time, abortion providers cite an
unbelievably small complication rate. Women suffering from complications are
left to their own devices to seek remedies. Last summer, a Fort Wayne ob-gyn, Dr. Geoff Cly, drew our
attention to the numerous times he has been called in to an emergency situation
to treat women suffering from abortion complications after the abortion
provider has left town. We were glad to connect Dr. Cly with those in elected
positions who can rectify this situation. Over the last year, Dr. Cly has
testified in front of the Indiana Senate Judiciary Committee and to the Allen
County Commissioners about his grave concern for the standard of care women are
receiving in these situations. (Dr. Cly’s testimony is posted on our website: www.ichooslife.org ) The Patient Safety Ordinance
will address his concerns by providing pre-planned continuity of care in the
event of an abortion complication, physician peer review and oversight to
correct errors for future patients as well as accurate tracking of abortion
complications.
DH: How is this ordinance similar to legislation
which passed the Indiana Senate recently, and how would that state-wide
legislation have affected abortion?
CH: The
admitting privileges requirement for abortion providers was included in a
multi-part Senate Bill (SB146). The section addressing patient safety reads:
Requires a physician who performs an
abortion to: (1) have admitting
privileges at a hospital in the county or in a county adjacent to the county
where the abortion is performed; and (2) notify the patient of the hospital
location where the patient can receive follow-up care by the physician.
Legislation passed in the General Assembly would have
held abortion providers to the same peer review and oversight as other
physicians practicing in the state, and the legislation would have provided an
accurate record of abortion complications in Indiana. It also would have ensured that
women having an abortion procedure would be given direction at the time of the
procedure so that she would know where to go in the event of complications and
that a local doctor would be prepared to treat her without delay. The Allen
County Patient Safety ordinance extends this requirement to all physicians
performing invasive medical procedures in Allen County.
DH: Why do you think the bill was not enacted
into law?
CH: SB
146 passed the Senate but was not given a hearing in the House. The vote in the
Senate was decisive and bi-partisan – I believe it was 39-9. Based on past
experience, I can only conclude that any mandated regulation or oversight of
abortion providers was considered by the House leadership to be a threat to
radical pro-abortion constituents. Democrat leadership in the House has
historically been opposed to any legislation favorable to protecting pre-born
babies or their mothers. Legislation is killed by procedural maneuvers
preventing a floor vote where we are certain we would have bi-partisan support
to pass the bill.
DH: How would you respond to criticism that this
county ordinance places an undue burden on medical services?
CH: This
criticism is unfounded. How could holding physicians accountable for their work
by peer review create an “undue burden on medical services?” This argument
calls into question the need for Quality Assurance committees and attempts to
address the work of incompetent physicians for any medical procedure. If patients
are not suffering from complications then there is nothing to fear by oversight
and review. This sounds like adamant abortion supporters to me - those who want
abortions to be legal and don’t care much about safe and rare.
DH: Besides ensuring patient safety, what are
some positive results could come down the road if this county ordinance is
passed?
CH: Better
care for all seeking medical treatment in Allen County
and an open, accurate assessment of medical complications.
DH: Cathie, thanks again for your time. Please let us know what happens on this
issue.
Note:
The views of any interviewee do not necessarily reflect the views of
AdvanceUSA.