stethoscope, doctor, nurse-6497490.jpg

Hippocratic Oath, or oath of hypocrisy?

This article by Michael J. Molatore appeared in the Bakersfield Californian’s Letter to the Editor section on August 23, 2023. Michael is the current president of Right to Life of Kern County’s Board of Directors.

This is in response to the Aug. 14 letter written by Dr. William Bezdek, “Much of medicine is intrinsically violent.”

Perhaps, I should have changed the title of my previous article from “When did abortion become health care?” to “When did medicine become intrinsically violent?”

Physicians, upon graduating from medical school, take a pledge called the Hippocratic Oath, which states “First, do no harm.” It could also say “First, do no violence.” Pretty much the same thing.

Although there are some recent modifications, the intention of the oath is the same.

It is true that taking certain medicines or having any surgery carries with it unintended risks, and sometimes uncertain outcomes, which could in some instances result in death.

In the case of abortion, there are also some unintended risks: The risk of remorse, deep regret, and possibly long-term depression from the realization of what just happened to the developing human inside the pregnant woman. All unintended risks.

With abortion, there are no uncertain outcomes. It always ends in death.

The intended and expected outcome, if it is to be considered successful, is to end the life growing inside the womb of the mother.

Bezdek states that “All surgeries are violent procedures, which, if done without consent, would subject the operator to criminal charges of battery or murder if the patient did not survive.”

Signing a consent form doesn’t change the outcome, or the risk. It only relieves the doctor of his liability.

Prior to a surgical abortion, the doctor takes an ultrasound of the pregnant woman to determine how far along she is in the pregnancy, and to determine exactly where the unborn is located. This is done to help the abortionist guide his instruments so he can perform his job of “health care.” This ultrasound is typically not shown to the woman.

When an abortion-minded woman goes to her local crisis pregnancy center, which also offers ultrasounds, she gets to hear the heartbeat and see the picture of her unborn child. The majority of the time, she will change her mind about getting the abortion, and continue with her pregnancy. This is why she is not encouraged to see it at the abortion facility.

Bezdek is correct and accurate to mention that miscarriages are considered spontaneous abortions; however, the woman’s body does this to itself, without anyone’s help.

I still stand by my comment that all humans should have a legal right to protection from violence, regardless of who they are, what they are, or where they are.

War and capital punishment are a completely different issue. These are not the same thing as the intentional termination of a pregnancy.

At the present time, 1 out of every 4 women in the United States has had at least one abortion.

Planned Parenthood even had some coffee cups and other swag that could be purchased to promote their 1 in 3 campaign. They were touting 1 out of every 3 women had chosen abortion. I believe this marketing is an attempt to further normalize, and minimize, the life-ending procedure, thereby building a sisterhood of support, and at the same time ensuring their future profitability.

There has been a lot of talk lately about the abortion pill, which is the most common method of terminating early pregnancies. I would like to invite and encourage you to go to the website AbortionProcedures.com and view the four-minute video on the abortion pill, which explains how it works. It is animated, and is not a blood and gore video. It is purely educational, and is presented by an abortion doctor.

I challenge you to watch this short video, and then decide for yourself if you believe abortion is health care.

My opinion: Women deserve better than abortion.

And abortion is not health care. No matter how you want to spin it.

— Michael J. Molatore, Bakersfield