When politicians can coerce the Arkansas Board of Health and State Medical Board to redefine medical terminology in state regulations, something has gone terribly wrong.
In two separate instances since January 2016, Gov. Asa Hutchinson and legislators have imposed language changes on state regulations that reflect their own political agendas rather than medically and scientifically accepted terminology.
In 2015 Governor Hutchinson passed an unprecedented executive order granting him power to exert his will over the Board of Health and State Medical Board. In January 2016 the Board of Health recommended scientifically based language surrounding abortion in state regulations.
Governor Hutchinson rejected this language even before it could reach the Legislative Council, causing the board to back down from the medically accurate language "termination of the pregnancy" to the politically charged and patient-patronizing phrase "death of the unborn child."
In April, the Legislative Council, which has oversight of the Board of Health's and State Medical Board's rules and regulations, mirrored the governor's astonishing reach of power, forcing the State Medical Board to vote against its own recommendations to use the medically accurate "fetus" and instead change language to the politically charged "unborn child" or "unborn human individual."
I am ashamed of the politicians in our state who deem their personal judgments superior to those of my colleagues in medicine. I am outraged that the members of both boards felt compelled to vote against their best judgments. Board of Health president Jim Lambert stated that he knew the only way to deal with being forced to vote against his conscience was "to elect different legislators."
What a terribly demoralizing statement!
Years ago, I was drawn to the medical profession because I care about providing the highest-quality care to those in my community. I invested the time, effort and resources to become a physician because it is the noblest profession I know. People trust us to make decisions that impact the course of their lives in large and small ways, and they expect that these decisions will be guided by the most current science and medicine.
I am proud of my profession because the oath I took has always guided me to fulfill that expectation. These days politicians, in their effort to woo conservative voters, can apparently override the sovereignty of medical professionals who have years of experience, education and scientific knowledge.
As a medical professional, I am alarmed at the direction these politicians are taking us, and the pressure they're exerting on the medical community to betray our oath.
Legislation that chips away at access to safe and legal family planning, including access to abortion, is increasing rapidly in states across the country.
The truth is anti-women's health initiatives are a way for legislators to avoid real problems. Lawmakers are keeping the issue of abortion front and center, when we need to be talking about evidence-based sex education and the issues surrounding our health-delivery systems. When we alter medically accepted and scientifically sound language to reflect the inflammatory rhetoric of vote-pandering politicians, we allow women's health rights to erode before our eyes. At the end of the day, why in the world wouldn't our society support medically accurate information?
No matter your position on abortion, which continues to be a safe, legal procedure, I think we can all agree that doctors--not politicians--should determine the best way to practice medicine and communicate that practice in the most current, scientifically backed and medically based terms.
If we have to elect different politicians so that our regulations reflect the highest quality of medical judgment, I urge you to join me at the polls this November 8.
------------v------------
Marvin Singleton, M.D., of Fayetteville, is a board member of Planned Parenthood Voters of Arkansas.
Editorial on 05/12/2016