Doctors obligated to protect Roe v. Wade

As a doctor, I take care of patients with empathy and compassion, even when providing that care is hard or uncomfortable.

Dr. Marc Siegel, in his recent column, describes witnessing an abortion for the first time in medical school. He describes looking at the tiny body parts of the removed fetus and deciding that abortion did not fit with his view of a doctor’s role in relieving suffering.

I also witnessed an abortion for the first time in medical school. I still remember the woman’s sadness when we told her that her water had broken at 16 weeks. She understood that her baby would never be able to develop lungs that would allow it to live outside of her. She also understood that with every passing day, her risk of infection grew. She decided to have an abortion. Like Siegel, I remember watching it. But for me, what remains most vivid is my memory of holding this woman’s hand in the recovery room as she mourned the difficult decision she had to make.

Based on recent survey data from Guttmacher Institute, two-thirds of abortions are performed at eight weeks or earlier. Fetal parts are usually not seen in removed pregnancies at nine weeks or earlier, and scientific evidence suggests that fetuses cannot feel pain before about the third trimester.

I am not denying that pregnancies I end when I perform abortions hold the potential for life. I understand that potential, and grieve for it. But I also understand that women are more than the things that grow inside them.

In one month, I am moving with my family to Georgia to continue the fight for abortion. With more restrictive abortion laws passing, I hope that doctors around the country will come together to honor our obligation to protect Roe v. Wade.

Nisha Verma, MD

Brookline, Mass.