Let Her Decide !

      On Tuesday, Journalist, John Celock reported in The Huffington Post that Arizona Senate approved a bill that prohibits a doctor from facing  medical malpractice lawsuit if the  doctor withholds  information that would lead the women to have an abortion. Republican Senator, Nancy Barto of Arizona sponsored the law because she did not want parents to sue doctors, if their children are born with disabilities.

     Blogger Susie Madrak followed that decision with an article in Crooks and Liars  entitled “AZ Senate Votes for Bill Allowing Doctors to Deny Pregnant Women Info about Genetic Testing.” Madrak condemns the Bill, saying that it was the same Republicans who were concerned about the Government “getting between citizens and their doctors” now doing the same ; the Republicans have been especially critical about the Democrats’ Affordable Care Act.

      Like Ms.Madrak,I am aghast to hear about the passing of the Bill. How could there be a bill that prohibits a doctor from giving a women informtion about genetic testing? What about that woman’s safety? What about the preparation for the new baby’s safety? Moreover, I do not think that parents would simply abort their child because he or she has a disability. I definitely agree with Madrak that parents should be informed about the state of their child. However, unlike Madrak, who said “not everyone can afford to take care of a child with a serious disability.” I cannot yet find myself equating the life of a child (if it were mine) with disabilities, with cost, bills, income and money. I do realize that she is being practical and realistic, and that money is a real issue which probably lead to the lawsuits by parents against the physician.

       I think a child with disability exudes unconditional love and god like innocence, but that does not stop the fact that parents need to know and decide if they want to have that experience or not. Like Madrak , I do not think that the government should come between a woman and her doctor. A woman needs to know the results of her genetic testing for her own safety and that of her child.