We are honored this week to share an interview with Professor Katie Watson from Northwestern. She is the author of Scarlet A: The ethics, law, and politics of ordinary abortion and has been widely published in the medical literature regarding the ethics of reproductive health care. We discuss a variety of topics on today’s show including: myths about abortion after birth, the impact of abortion bans on other aspects of reproductive health care (like IVF), and Katie’s thoughts about the Dobbs decision.
Photo: Professor Katie Watson
Listen to this week’s episode here:
Anti-abortion proponents often claim the moral high ground, however clinicians providing this care feel a moral and ethical calling to abortion care. We see this work as a way to alleviate and prevent human suffering. Dr. Lisa Harris from the University of Michigan writes about the conscientious provision of care, in contrast to conscientious objection, recognizing that providing care is also based on people’s conscience, life experiences, and perspectives. As the attacks on abortion provision increase, acknowledging the kindness and compassion that is inextricably woven into abortion care is important to highlight. When meeting with an experienced legislator, our team was once given the advice: “You provide care from a place of deep values and morality. You do not need to cede the moral high ground.” AND “There is always a need for principled advocacy. The struggle will always be there – Be encouraged!”
Recently, our colleagues and friends sued the state of SC based on their own principled advocacy and religious beliefs. This lawsuit argues that the SC abortion ban infringes on their ability to provide compassionate care. Kudos to the physicians in SC for standing up against this attack on their patients’ ability to access healthcare - a basic human right - saying it violates their religious freedoms as well as their constitutional rights to provide care under vague, unclear laws. As people who are providing moral and ethical care, they argue that bans on care are unethical.
If you are interested in learning more about the ethics of abortion care - check out Katie Watson’s book. You can also read our NEJM perspective piece on the ethics of advocacy and why negotiating with legislators for exceptions is unethical.
Next week will be our season 1 finale. It’s hard to believe the season is already coming to an end. As always, thanks for listening and sharing the show with friends and family. More to come about the possibility of season 2! In the meantime, you can celebrate this major milestone: >25K downloads!!
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