The horrific shooting at Planned Parenthood in Colorado Springs that left three dead serves as a stark reminder of the grave consequences of inflammatory political rhetoric and poor legislation.
After his arrest, Gunman Robert Dear declared “no more baby parts” to investigators. Dear’s terrifying actions have been linked to the national ongoing attack on reproductive rights as well as inadequate gun control laws. As a medical student, I fear that we will have many more Robert Dear’s in this country unless we make sure that political interests do not continue to impede on patient-provider relationships.
A report called “Politics in the Exam Room: A Growing Threat” that was released earlier this year describes how existing laws prevent doctors from executing their professional and ethical duty to provide evidence-based care to patients, cripple their ability to protect the safety of their patients, and undermine the necessary trust in patient-provider relationships. The authors of the report focus on three issue areas: the clinical management of toxic exposures, reproductive health, and gun safety.
Read the full article published in The Huffington Post
Tehreem Rehman, MD MPH 