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ACOG On Politician's 'Inaccurate Abortion Comments'

GOP Rep. Joe Walsh (Talk Radio News Service/flickr)
GOP Rep. Joe Walsh (Talk Radio News Service/flickr)

Today, however, the doctors' group is plunging in with gusto, in response to GOP Rep. Joe Walsh's statements that abortion is never used to save the life of the mother.

Here's ACOG's press release:

Response to Politician’s Inaccurate Abortion Comments

Washington, DC — Contrary to the inaccurate statements made yesterday by Rep. Joe Walsh (R-IL), abortions are necessary in a number of circumstances to save the life of a woman or to preserve her health. Unfortunately, pregnancy is not a risk-free life event, particularly for many women with chronic medical conditions. Despite all of our medical advances, more than 600 women die each year from pregnancy and childbirth-related reasons right here in the US. In fact, many more women would die each year if they did not have access to abortion to protect their health or to save their lives.

These inaccurate comments are yet another reason why The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists’ (The College) message to politicians is unequivocal: Get out of our exam rooms.

Just this week, The College and other major medical organizations joined together in calling for an end to legislative and political interference in the patient-physician relationship in The New England Journal of Medicine.

Here's Walsh's full comment, according to Politico:

Abortion bans don’t need exceptions for the life of the mother because of “modern technology and science,” Rep. Joe Walsh (R-Ill.) said Thursday. “With modern technology and science, you can’t find one instance” of an abortion necessary to save the life of the mother, Walsh said after a debate with Tammy Duckworth, his Democratic opponent, according to the Chicago Tribune. “… There is no such exception as life of the mother, and as far as health of the mother, same thing.”

This program aired on October 19, 2012. The audio for this program is not available.

Headshot of Rachel Zimmerman

Rachel Zimmerman Reporter
Rachel Zimmerman previously reported on health and the intersection of health and business for WBUR. She is working on a memoir about rebuilding her family after her husband’s suicide. 

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