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On June 24, 2022, I was at a conference listening to a lecture and I kept getting the text tone from my phone. I was wondering why I was getting so many text messages.  Who needed me that urgently? I finally looked at the messages:

Did you hear?

I’m stressed, I can’t believe this

This is crazy

What does this mean for women?

 Roe v wade was overturned.

If they take away abortions, what else will they take away?

I was not surprised. Once the leak came out in May, I knew it was inevitable.

I believe each woman has a right to determine what happens to her body. My job as a physician is to make sure that I educate and provide the tools so that she is empowered to make decisions that impact her and her loved ones.  When asked if I am pro-life or pro-choice, I simply say, I am pro-woman.

With the reversal of Roe v. Wade, it will depend on each state to decide whether abortions will be legal or illegal. I am encouraging all women who are engaged in sex with the opposite sex to use birth control if they do not want to become pregnant.  You cannot have sex without birth control and not expect to get pregnant. If you are not ready to become a mother, you have to use birth control.  Birth control can range from fertility awareness methods (natural birth control) to permanent sterilization. 

With this decision to reverse Roe v Wade, misinformation has been rampant on social media. I would like to address three of the common issues.

1. Emergency contraception also known as the ‘morning after’ pills do not cause abortions. This is a method that is used if you have had unprotected intercourse or had a condom accident. It needs to be used within 3 – 5 days from the accident. It will not interfere with an existing pregnancy. It works by delaying ovulation. You need to ovulate to be able to conceive. If you do not ovulate, you will not release an egg and you cannot get pregnant. Emergency contraception is not reliable birth control. Once you use emergency contraception, you should use birth control like condoms until you have your period.  Emergency contraception can be obtained without a prescription; however, it is cheaper with a prescription.

• Intrauterine devices do not cause abortions. Intrauterine devices cause a hostile environment in the uterus so that the sperm does not even meet the egg. If the sperm does not meet the egg, you cannot get pregnant.

• An ectopic pregnancy cannot be saved. An ectopic pregnancy is a pregnancy located outside of the uterus. If the pregnancy is not in the uterus, it cannot survive. An ectopic pregnancy is a life-threatening condition that needs to be taken care of by a health care provider.  Managing an ectopic pregnancy is not an abortion. This pregnancy cannot survive.

As I always do on Independence Day weekend, read the Declaration of Independence. The second paragraph becomes even more meaningful –‘…We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness…’

Take time today to reflect on what that means to you. As a pro-woman, my interpretation is that women should have the freedom to make a decision about their life and the pursuit of happiness.