A truly progressive health care system gives opportunity to all people, and goes beyond artificial human expiration dates.
Dr. Christina Francis – Opinion contributor
One of the hardest parts of being a doctor is delivering bad news. As an OB-GYN, this usually means telling a mother that her unborn baby probably won’t make it.
“Incompatible with life.” “Severe fetal abnormality.” “Adverse prenatal diagnosis.” These are all terms used by the medical community that you’ve undoubtedly heard. In many of these cases, the mother chooses abortion, sometimes at the urging of her physician. Other women, despite the odds and the unimaginable heartbreak they face, choose to carry the baby to term.
It is in these cases that I’ve found some of my greatest joys as a physician — the opportunity to use my gifts and skills to accompany one of my patients in her maternal journey, along with her family, and to do everything I can to save the life of my other patient. In one such case that joy (and patient) has stayed with me.