Healthcare Reform and Abortion

As a physician I am often asked what should be done to fix healthcare.

I am still trying to figure that out myself. There is a massive bill being debated by our leaders that will change healthcare for decades to come. It sounds like it has some good ideas, although I am withholding judgment till I understand the plan better.

One thing I am certain of however, is that citizens of conscience should oppose using tax dollars to pay for abortion. While the bill doesn't mention abortion specifically, without wording banning funding of abortion the termination of unborn children would almost certainly become one of the treatments covered. Our representatives will not do this unless we request it.

I recently found StopTheAbortionMandate.com which is an excellent tool for citizens to contact their representatives and request the bill be amended to exclude abortion coverage. Using your address you can get your representatives contact info and email them directly from the website. While some of the links and sponsors of the site may have a right wing bent, the basic idea of opposing using healthcare dollars to kill any human being of any age is something Liberals, Independents, and Conservatives can all support.

(Sorry for the "call to action" post. I typically prefer to discuss political ideas on this blog rather than rally readers to action, but this is a momentous thing that is happening now that requires immediate response. For more thoughtful discussions of medical care or life-issues you can read some of the older posts.)

Self-Control: Gates and Crowley

Sgt. James Crowley and Henry Louis Gates Jr. have been the source of ceaseless public discussion in the last few days. Both men were in a stressful situation. Both men got angry. Both men probably misjudged the other. Both felt so certain of the prejudices of the other that they became too offended to admit any misjudgment on their own part. Either could have ended the situation by simply calming down. Instead it escalated and now their argument is at the center of a media circus.

While race is still an issue in America, I think the real issue that needs to be discussed now is self-control. Two adults, who both should have known better, let their hurt feelings take over and lost control of themselves. The officer had all the real power in the incident. He had the authority and the weapon and he was up against an irritable small man who walked with a cane. He represented the people of the state, and he should have been more professional. Once he realized the error and that Gates wanted him out of the house he should have bit his tongue, apologized, and left. Since the incident Gates has had the power, since he is a famous man who knows the president and has the ear of the media. He is supposed to represent thoughtful academia. Since the incident he has used his influence to insult officer Crowley's character and motives. Crowley has responded in kind. Both men still refuse to back down. The issue at stake now is pride and ego. Both are willing to damage the reputation of whites and blacks, academics and police in order to win this battle of wills without apologizing.

I am trying to teach my toddler self-control. As a one-year old he responds to not getting his way by screaming and throwing things. It is childish behavior because he is a child. I hope to raise him to become young man with self-discipline so that even when he is misjudged or insulted he will not loose control and let himself mistreat others. This is what we should expect of any mature adult.

Race and misuse of power in America are being debated non-stop in this case. While these are issues worth discussion, the more important issue is that our nation is full of adults who are unwilling or unable to practice self-control. A police officer and an honored professor should both be acting like men not boys.

Bearing Witness (Iran)

Today as Americans celebrate our liberty, it is proper to consider the plight of those who struggle under oppression:

Over the last few weeks I have closely followed the news out of Iran. The highly suspicious election results spurred large protests throughout the country followed by a media blackout and a violent crackdown. Now most of the public protests have been crushed, and the protesters are being executed or tortured into making false confessions.

I justified spending so much energy on this because I have occasionally helped by passing messages for protesters so they can hide their identities from authorities, but I have wondered how much of my interest was just morbid curiosity for sensational events? For this reason I have hesitated from posting about Iran on my blog.

Last weekend we went to a candlelight vigil with Iranian students here in Georgia. They emphasized that they don't want US government intervention, which would play into the hands of their oppressors. Many Americans asked what they could do. A young Iranian man said, "the people of Iran need your support and praise."

This is Iran's struggle. But many protesters risked their lives to get this documentation of their movement out to the world. Iran needs the world to witness their boldness and suffering. Their love of liberty is deeper than ours.

Therefore this post is to bear witness and respect their courage:


A video about the election aftermath posted 6/19/09:



To show their number those who oppose the government go to rooftops each night and call out "God is great" the same as happened a generation ago during the 1979 Revolution. This is a video taken by a young woman:



Police on roof firing at protesters in the street below:



The death of Neda Soltan, a young woman shot in street on 6/20/09 by militia for protesting for freedom: (Warning: Graphic Video only watch if you feel you are able.)

To read more about Neda Soltan click here.


A protester calling CNN on 6/24/09:


An Iranian propaganda film blaming the West for meddling and justifying rounding up students and intellectuals who espouse democratic ideals:



Today as we celebrate our freedom and liberty, let us not forget those around the world who struggle under oppression, especially our brothers and sisters in Iran.