WTF Alabama?

In the midst of ranting that, despite the White House's Initiative on Women's Health Research, our "healthcare" is becoming less about "health" or 'care", my husband ever so calmly reminded me that the politicians work for us.

I often forget this and have admittedly become lazy, ignorant, and even submissive to the insanity that continues to affect larger segments of my patients.

The majority of the US is neither far right or far left, yet we are the quietest.

Imagine if we weren't.

I firmly believe if you don't like something, you have no right to complain about it unless you've done something to try to fix it.

With that said:

Dear [Representative or Senator],

As a constituent and a registered voter, I am writing to express my personal and professional disagreement with the recent ruling of the Alabama Supreme Court. As a reproductive genetic counselor of over 22 years, I am deeply saddened by what occurred to the embryos of Mr. and Mrs. LePage, Mr. and Mrs. Fonde, and Mr. and Mrs. Aysenne. Having worked with countless patients throughout their in vitro fertilization (IVF) journey, I hold this population close to my heart. While I have thankfully never required the use of IVF, I understand the heartbreak and desire of those who want nothing more than to have a child of their own, as there is nothing more important to me in this world than my girls.

There are various reasons one chooses to pursue IVF, and I have never found a patient who makes this choice lightly: female infertility due to anovulatory menstrual cycles, autoimmune conditions, blood clotting disorders, uterine and other structural anomalies, endometriosis, advanced maternal age, polycystic ovary syndrome, fibroids, and genetic conditions name a few. Male factor infertility has an equally lengthy list of etiologies, yet neither list addresses the 33% of cases in which an underlying cause is undetermined.

Lest we forget those within the LGBTQIA+ community who rely on this method to grow their own families and whose rights under the 14th Amendment, the amendment that SC-2022-0515 and SC-2022-0579 cite, have been limited, eliminated, and otherwise attacked.

As a Christian, I have spent decades trying to incorporate my personal and professional beliefs into a single ethos. I have yet to succeed, possibly because some things need to have barriers. These include faith and science, church and state, and reproductive rights and politicians.

With all due respect,

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