Mixing Politics With Healthcare: Not What The Doctor Ordered

15 january 2013

The continued right wing attempts to limit reproductive rights of women, and the recent response from the left to require men who use Viagra to have psychiatric evaluations, prostate exams and cardiac stress tests, begs the question again: should politics have a role in healthcare? As a physician, I vote no.

Further evidence of the Republicans’ attempts to restrict women’s freedoms to make decisions about their own health and reproduction  include a bill recently introduced in Ohio called the “Heartbeat” bill. This bill would ban abortion once a fetal heartbeat is detected, which can be as early as the fifth or sixth week of pregnancy. This drastic measure would place many women who do not want to continue their pregnancies in a potentially dangerous position, as the government takes control of their bodies, health and reproductive decisions.

These strategies by Republican-controlled legislatures to oppose a federal requirement to include contraceptives in health care plans have enraged both women’s groups and physician leaders in healthcare. Pushback from Democrats include a bill currently pending in Missouri that would allow vasectomies only to protect a man from serious injury or death. The intent of this bill requires no further explanation.

Most people believe, at least in theory, that medical decisions should be made by licensed medical providers in concert with their patients and patients’ families. The unfortunate reality is that much more comes into play: finances, insurance companies, religion, access to care, and especially in an election year, politics.

With all of these cooks in the kitchen, is there any room left for the patient?