SAPPINGTON: Idaho Surgeons Don’t Need Prop 1 to Care for Pregnant Patients

By Dr. Bethany Sappington

As a board-certified general surgeon, my training includes learning the nuanced surgical care required for pregnant patients. Unique differences in their physiology exist that impact the approach we as surgeons take in their management, including their response to hemorrhage, sepsis, and secondarily, the preborn child’s response to the mother’s condition.

As a board-certified general surgeon practicing in Idaho, I routinely care for pregnant patients in non-obstetric surgical emergencies, whether by medical cause or traumatic events. Under current Idaho law, there are no constraints on my ability to treat pregnant patients undergoing these surgical emergencies. Current Idaho law permits physicians to treat pregnant women safely and effectively without need for amendment. I am concerned by the deceptive information circulated regarding Proposition 1 that indicates otherwise. Idaho physicians do not need Proposition 1 to safely treat our pregnant patients.

Proposition 1 does not grant greater safety to Idaho residents. As a physician trained to look at population health, I am concerned about the threat it presents to the most vulnerable of our population. A vague use of a “medical emergency” standard could permit procedures that are not medically necessary, exposing pregnant patients to medical and surgical risks. In legalizing abortion, the preborn children are robbed of their very existence. The wording used in Proposition 1 to grant rights to “every person” without age limit could override parental-consent requirements, taking minors from the umbrella of safety and wisdom their parents and guardians provide. In allowing abortion beyond the current Idaho law parameters, abusers are more easily able to continue their cycle of abuse. Numerous cases of sexual abuse covered up by abortion providers have been documented (https://www.liveaction.org/investigations/sexual-abuse-cover-up).

Prior to becoming a physician and a general surgeon, I was a Labor and Delivery nurse. I celebrated with families as they welcomed new members and mourned with those who suffered losses. Some of those losses sustained on our L&D unit were as young as 14 weeks gestation. In honoring their lives, we would carefully cleanse and dress the babies so that families could take photos if desired or just spend time together grieving. These babies were distinctly babies, not clumps of tissue. I also worked with premature deliveries, coordinating care with the NICU team at delivery. Many babies required extra assistance at delivery—oxygen, suctioning, IVs, medications. Left on their own, they would not be able to survive. They could be considered “non-viable.” However, with the skills and assistance of the interdisciplinary team, these babies thrived. Proposition 1 seeks a right to abortion up to the point of the fetus’ ability to survive outside the womb. This wording concerns me greatly as it could be interpreted in such a way as to allow abortion up to the point of delivery.

It is honorable for Idahoans to want to protect the rights of their citizens. Current Idaho law protects women and their ability to obtain contraception, fertility treatments, prenatal and postpartum care, and all necessary surgical interventions. It also protects the preborn Idahoans destined to continue to make our state great.

I write on my own behalf as a surgeon, an Idahoan, a mother, a former Labor & Delivery nurse, and a Christian. Please join me in protecting all Idahoans by voting no on Proposition 1.

Bethany Sappington, MD, FACS

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The Gem State Chronicle brings you news and analysis that empowers you to make positive change in Idaho. Established 2022.

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