Guest Columnist
This month, the Court of Criminal Appeals is due to hear arguments that will influence the fate of a woman who miscarried 20 weeks into her pregnancy and was charged with first-degree manslaughter. In October, another woman in Oklahoma, who suffered a similar pregnancy loss, was sentenced to four years in prison. As a gynecologist caring for patients in Oklahoma City, I am compelled to call out another, greater source of harm to the health of mothers and fetuses: jailing and prosecuting people for their actions during pregnancy.
I am committed to evidence-based, compassionate care that improves the health and well-being of Oklahoma’s mothers and children. That’s why I am compelled to call attention to this reality: Using the criminal justice system in an attempt to control behaviors during pregnancy is counterproductive and cruel.
My relationships with my patients — all health care clinicians’ relationships with our patients — depend on trust. Because of that trust, patients come to us for vital health services. Patients need to know that their medical care is confidential, that law enforcement has no presence in the exam room. Studies have shown that the threat of criminal prosecution prevents many pregnant people from seeking prenatal care and treatment for substance use disorder, a chronic brain disease. Without trust as the foundation of the patient-physician relationship, we have no medical system.
Clinically, the prosecution of pregnant people for...
Mombasa County Commissioner Mohamed Noor said investigations conducted so far have found no evidence that any victim had actually lost their genital organs despite widespread rumours circulating ...