cover of episode Stories From the Front Lines of Abortion Care (Dr. Warren Hern)

Stories From the Front Lines of Abortion Care (Dr. Warren Hern)

2024/11/8
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Warren Hern: 本书记录了在两极分化的政治和社会环境下提供堕胎护理的艰难现实。从个人经历出发，描述了保护病人和工作人员免受激进抗议者的侵害，强调堕胎服务对保护女性健康的关键作用。还重点介绍了他在拉丁美洲的研究成果，强调堕胎在解决国家和全球公共卫生挑战中的作用。他认为，最近推翻罗诉韦德案的判决加剧了长期存在的危机，现在危及民主，因为政治团体利用这个问题来获得权力。他的书揭露了限制堕胎获取的真正风险，并敦促采取政治行动来保障生殖权利，强调女性对安全堕胎服务的需求是医疗保健和自由的一个重要组成部分。 在访谈中，他详细描述了堕胎手术的具体过程，包括术前咨询、检查、手术步骤以及术后护理。他强调了怀孕本身的危险性，以及在不同妊娠阶段进行堕胎的风险和复杂性。他还谈到了他收治的病人中面临的各种复杂情况，例如胎儿畸形、药物滥用、家庭暴力、强奸或乱伦等。他认为，即使在没有其他医疗问题的健康女性，怀孕本身也是一种潜在的致命疾病，因此女性是否继续怀孕的决定权应该掌握在她自己手中。 他还谈到了他面临的死亡威胁以及反堕胎者的暴力行为，并认为反堕胎运动是一个白人至上主义运动，他们利用宗教信仰来掩盖其种族主义动机。他批评了“挺生命”这个说法，认为这是一个具有煽动性和偏见的宣传用语，它将帮助女性的人描述为反生命和反人类。他认为，要减少堕胎，就应该减少意外怀孕，这需要支持避孕措施和性教育。他还批评了共和党利用堕胎问题来获得政治权力，导致了美国社会在堕胎问题上的倒退。 Michael Shermer: 从历史角度探讨了怀孕的危险性，特别是在缺乏现代医疗的时代。他指出，现代妇产科将怀孕视为正常状态，这忽略了怀孕的危险性，并暗示女性的价值取决于生育能力。他还讨论了堕胎的伦理和社会问题，以及在罗诉韦德案前后堕胎的法律和社会环境的变化。他与Warren Hern讨论了堕胎的历史、程序、风险以及社会和政治挑战，并探讨了胎儿人格的争论。

Deep Dive

Key Insights

Why does Dr. Warren Hern consider pregnancy an illness?

Pregnancy has all the characteristics of an illness condition, posing a risk to the woman's life regardless of whether she wants to be pregnant or not. It fits the cognitive framework of illness, making abortion the treatment of choice unless the woman wants to have a baby.

What was the maternal mortality rate in the United States during World War I?

The maternal mortality rate at the end of World War I was 1,000 maternal deaths per 100,000 live births.

How has the maternal mortality rate changed in the United States since the 1920s?

The maternal mortality rate dropped from 680 per 100,000 live births in the early 1920s to 38 per 100,000 in 1960, then further to seven or eight in the mid-1990s. However, it has since risen to over 30 due to various reasons.

What was the maternal mortality ratio for black women compared to white women in the 1960s?

In the 1960s, the maternal mortality ratio for black women due to unsafe abortion was nine times higher than for white women.

How many abortions were estimated to be performed annually in the United States before Roe v. Wade?

It was estimated that there were at least a million abortions being performed per year in the United States before Roe v. Wade.

Why does Dr. Hern believe that abortion is a common experience for women across cultures?

Anthropologist George Devereaux studied 450 tribal societies and found that women performed abortions in all of them, indicating that abortion is a common experience for women across pre-industrial societies.

What is the current maternal mortality ratio for black women compared to white women in the United States?

Currently, the maternal mortality ratio for black women is three times higher than for white women, and in states like Alabama and Texas, it can be five times higher.

How does Dr. Hern describe the Dobbs decision's impact on abortion access?

The Dobbs decision has shut down abortion services in at least a third of U.S. states, making it illegal in approximately 40% of states and forcing women to seek later-term abortions, which are more difficult, risky, and expensive.

What percentage of Dr. Hern's patients come from Texas?

Approximately 30% of Dr. Hern's patients come from Texas, with another 30% coming from other red states where abortion access is restricted.

Why does Dr. Hern reject the term 'pro-life'?

Dr. Hern rejects the term 'pro-life' because it is a propaganda term that implies those who support abortion are 'pro-death' and 'anti-life.' He argues that it is a smear term used to justify violence against abortion providers.

How many physicians have been assassinated by anti-abortion activists?

Five physicians, including Dr. George Tiller, have been assassinated by anti-abortion activists.

What is Dr. Hern's view on the argument that life begins at conception?

Dr. Hern argues that life began over three and a half billion years ago with anaerobic bacteria, not at conception. He believes the idea that life begins at conception is a

What is Dr. Hern's stance on late-term abortions without medical complications?

Dr. Hern believes that if a woman does not want to be pregnant, there is no justification for forcing her to continue the pregnancy, even if there are no medical complications. Pregnancy itself is a medical condition that poses risks to the woman's life.

What does Dr. Hern think about the politicization of abortion?

Dr. Hern believes that the politicization of abortion began in the 1980s when the New Right used it as a tool to gain power within the Republican Party. He argues that it has allowed the GOP to dominate the Supreme Court and impose medieval restrictions on abortion access.

What is Dr. Hern's opinion on the effectiveness of abstinence-only education?

Dr. Hern believes that abstinence-only education does not work and that comprehensive sex education is marginally more effective in reducing the likelihood of engaging in vaginal intercourse.

Chapters
This chapter explores the historical dangers of pregnancy and childbirth, highlighting the high maternal mortality rates before the 20th century and how this historical context informs the discussion around abortion access.
  • High maternal mortality rates before the 20th century
  • Pregnancy has characteristics of an illness condition
  • The treatment of choice for pregnancy is abortion unless the woman wants to have a baby

Shownotes Transcript

Dr. Warren Hern’s book, Abortion in the Age of Unreason: A Doctor’s Account of Caring for Women Before and After Roe v. Wade, chronicles the difficult realities of providing abortion care amidst a polarized political and social climate. Drawing from personal experiences, Hern describes protecting patients and staff from aggressive protesters and emphasizes the critical need for abortion services to protect women’s health. His work also highlights insights from his research in Latin America, underscoring abortion’s role in addressing national and global public health challenges. Hern argues that the recent dismantling of Roe v. Wade has intensified a long-standing crisis, which now endangers democracy as political groups exploit the issue to gain power. His book exposes the real risks of restricted access and urges for political action to safeguard reproductive rights, stressing that women’s need for safe abortion services is an essential, ongoing component of healthcare and freedom.

Warren M. Hern, M.D., is known to the public through his many appearances on CNN, Rachel Maddow/MSNBC, Sixty Minutes, and in the pages of The Atlantic magazine, The New York Times, Washington Post, and dozens more media. A scientist, Hern wrote about the need for safe abortion services before the 1973 Roe v. Wade decision and was present at the first Supreme Court arguments. In his research and medical work, he pioneered since 1973 the modern safe practice of early and late abortion in his highly influential books and scholarship. A tireless national activist for women’s reproductive rights, he is an adjunct professor of anthropology at the University of Colorado, Boulder, and holds a clinical appointment in obstetrics and gynecology at the University of Colorado medical center. He holds doctorates in medicine and epidemiology. His book is Abortion in the Age of Unreason: A Doctor’s Account of Caring for Women Before and After Roe v. Wade.

Shermer and Hern discuss Hern’s journey into abortion care, abortion history pre- and post-Roe, and the complex procedures involved. They explore the risks of pregnancy versus abortion, societal and political challenges like protests and threats, and the debate over fetal personhood. Hern also delves into the broader implications of abortion rights on democracy and society, shedding light on contentious issues surrounding reproductive health.