Medical officials and public health experts have brought the controversy over “non-essential” surgeries to the center of discourse over COVID-19. A handful of states have issued bans on “non-essential” or “non-emergent” surgeries, in order to preserve health care resources during the pandemic. The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) broadly suggested that any surgery or routine procedure that can be postponed without bringing patient harm should be pushed to a later date. On “essential” surgeries that could inflict patient harm if postponed, the Ambulatory Surgery Center Association (ASCA) issued the following guidelines:
Examples of cases that might still need to proceed with surgery at this time include:
Acute infection
Acute trauma that would significantly worsen without surgery
Potential malignancy
Uncontrollable pain that would otherwise require a hospital admission
A condition where prognosis would significantly worsen with a delay in treatment
Although necessary to conserve health care resources, and prioritize COVID-19 patients and life-or-death, emergency surgeries, Americans with non-emergent surgical needs are still forced to wait. This solemn time period, as the country navigates a global health pandemic, does not stop the pro-choice outrage industry from demanding abortion be prioritized.
As governors tighten restrictions on surgery, particularly in Ohio and Texas, abortion has been deemed “non-essential.” This categorization from multiple governors triggered an outrage episode from pro-abortion interest groups, with Planned Parenthood leading the charge. The “women’s health” organizations insist that abortion is an essential surgery, and necessary health care during a pandemic.
During the #COVID19 crisis, state officials are exploiting this pandemic to advance a dangerous ideological agenda over science. It’s clear they’ll stop at nothing to achieve their goal of ending access to abortion. https://t.co/2AqvIFyFWP #AbortionIsEssential
— NARAL (@NARAL) April 21, 2020
.@GovAbbott doesn't think abortion is essential or, apparently, time-sensitive.
— Planned Parenthood (@PPFA) March 25, 2020
He's wrong.
So: we're suing, with our friends at @ReproRights and The Lawyering Project. See you in court. pic.twitter.com/FIQJeKgK4l
State orders have exceptions for abortions that would save the life of the mother written in, which, of course, would constitute an emergency. This fight is brought to federal courts nationwide, and the Supreme Court; Planned Parenthood also demands to stay open during COVID-19. In the case of Pennsylvania, Planned Parenthood locations have kept their doors open exclusively to perform abortions and no real health care procedures, which actually undermines the industry’s argument that healthcare for women is the priority. It is also worth noting that while arguing that abortion is an essential, necessary surgery that is on-par with any other procedure, the abortion industry continually opposes regulations that would ensure that abortion providers have proper admitting privileges to local hospitals in case of emergency, as we saw in Whole Women’s Health v. Hellerstedt and June Medical Services LLC v. Russo at the Supreme Court. So in reality, proponents want abortion characterized as a routine or essential healthcare procedure when convenient, and otherwise demand special standards for abortion providers, which, ironically, put women’s heath at risk.
Despite the obvious common sense behind deeming abortion as “non-essential,” Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer even went as far as to characterize the elective procedure as “life sustaining:”
Democrat Gov. Gretchen Whitmer says abortion is “life-sustaining”https://t.co/yiMr8Xs85q pic.twitter.com/A7fnBZpZ3A
— RNC Research (@RNCResearch) April 16, 2020
This argument is less about the conflicting viewpoints of the pro-life versus pro-choice movements, and more about what surgeries and procedures should take priority during a global health pandemic, when resources are limited and health care workers are at high-risk. The purpose of pausing abortions, deemed as “non-essential” surgeries, is not to undermine Roe v. Wade, restrict access or impede on the legality of abortion, as the pro-choice outrage machine would like everyone to believe. Rather, governors are showing priority to emergent surgeries which pose actual risks if postponed, as opposed to an elective choice to terminate a pregnancy. Aside from abortions performed to save the life of the mother, which are deemed emergent, abortions are elective and are rightfully back-burnered as low priority during COVID-19.
The outrage from the Left also proves a major point of Planned Parenthood’s critics; the “women’s health” organization’s priority is not, and never has been, women’s health, but rather about gaining revenue. Abortions help Planned Parenthood keep its doors open nationwide, and bring in the most cash. Locations staying open exclusively for abortions, without any other services, makes the priority abundantly clear.
While the abortion lobby demands that abortion access be unlimited during a global health pandemic, Americans with real health care and surgical needs, even if “non-essential,” continue to wait their turn.
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