I am the member of the public in attendance at the Aid-in-dying group meeting at the library last week who referred to the issue as a medical one that has been politicized (Herald, Dec. 3). I am also a physician who was practicing in Washington when medical aid at the end of life was on the ballot there. The point of the law is that it gives choice to both patients and physicians; no one is forced to participate simply because it is legal. Note the similarities with abortion: a legal medical procedure chosen by patients and physicians who believe in it.
The LARC funding issue affecting availability of contraceptives is likewise being decided by politicians when it should be a medical decision between patient and health care provider. The concern that the contraception induces abortion is not a valid one in the medical community. In a political, religious or other community where misinformation and inflammatory rhetoric are valid, a woman’s right to plan her pregnancies is disregarded as the community makes the choice for her by limiting her access. We have seen what political rhetoric about “selling fetal body parts” has done to communities across the country.
There has also been recent attention to big Pharma’s direct-to-consumer advertising as well as their profits from Medicare Part D. These are political/financial issues that threaten quality health care by introducing the dangerous motive of profit to decisions that belong with the patient and the patient’s doctor. Lastly, in regard to access to affordable health care in our state, keep in mind that the health care industry is exactly that: a for-profit industry. That’s not health care, it’s politics.
Lauri Costello
Durango
