“It’s not based on medical fact”: Louisiana OB/GYNs navigate their state’s abortion ban
For Dr. Jane Martin and Dr. Neelima Sukhavasi, friends and OB/GYN colleagues in Louisiana, their first professional obligation has always been to their patients. Since Louisiana’s abortion ban took effect, many doctors have described an impossible dilemma: prioritize the needs of their patients, or adhere to laws guided by politics rather than medicine.
Remembering an early experience testifying before the state legislature against abortion restrictions, Dr. Sukhavasi said: “You go through all of your medical training being told that people respect your opinion as a doctor. … And I realized that when it comes to these laws and restrictions, it’s not based on medical fact, it’s not based on the opinions of reputable physicians.”
As a high-risk OB/GYN, Dr. Martin described the particular challenges of caring for patients facing impossible decisions of their own, in medically challenging situations, where remaining pregnant could be dangerous or even fatal. “That’s the hardest thing for me,” she said, “is knowing there are patients that I’m going to tell them, ‘There’s a chance you could die, but is that chance high enough for me to say that we can offer you this legally in the state of Louisiana?”
The two doctors discussed the challenges of practicing in a state like Louisiana, their efforts to speak out on behalf of their patients, their friendship, and their hopes for the future. Their conversation was recorded by StoryCorps Studios as part of Abortion in America’s collection of interviews with people in Louisiana about the ways in which the state’s abortion ban has affected their lives. This project was produced in collaboration with Glamour and the Newcomb Institute at Tulane University.
It feels like I am providing care up until a certain point, and then my care comes to a screeching halt because then patients just kind of have to figure it out on their own.
Louisiana miscarriage patient who had to cross state lines for critical care wants answers
Texas’ restrictive abortion law sends Houston teen on cross-country odyssey for help
