Category Archives: Social Issues

Care for the Unborn but What About After Birth?

Pregnant Woman

Some “pro-life” advocates believe that abortion is always wrong, but others make exceptions to save the life of the mother or for other reasons.

“Pro-choice” advocates don’t want the government (state or federal) to tell women whether and when they can seek an abortion.

These are contentious issues, and both sides believe they are right.

According to the Gallup organization (polling organization) of adults polled “… 61% currently say that overturning Roe v. Wade was a ‘bad thing,’ while 38% call it a ‘good thing’.” [July 7, 2023 published in 2024]

The Gallup organization also reported in May 2023 that, of those polled, “34% believe abortion should be legal ‘under any circumstances,’ 51% say it should be legal ‘only under certain circumstances,’ and 13% say it should be illegal in all circumstances’.”

If these data are accurate and representative, a majority of people believe that abortion should be legal in all or at least some circumstances.

Those people who want abortion to be illegal on moral grounds do so presumably because they believe the life of the developing fetus is sacred.

But what do they think about society’s responsibilities once a baby is born? Being consistent requires “pro-life”advocates to be champions of assuring proper care of children from the moment they are born.

When comparing states that severely limit abortions to those that are more “pro-choice,” it appears that anti-abortion states do not provide the same level of services for children than pro-choice states.

For example, according to the Associated Press, “Social programs are weak in many states with tough abortion laws” (April 7, 2022).

The New York Times on July 28, 2022 reported: “States with abortion bans are among least supportive for mothers and children.”

National Public Radio noted that “States with the toughest abortion laws have the weakest maternal supports, data shows” (August 18, 2022).

If these reports are correct, those who want to limit abortion should do a lot more to show that the life of a baby after birth is at least as important to them as the life of an unborn fetus.

My opinion about the importance of caring for the needs of live children is independent of my thoughts about abortion. I may address that another time.

Peter M. Hartmann, MD

Family Medicine & Psychiatry

#Excited #Delirium

Delirious

The diagnosis of “excited delirium” has been used for many decades but has now been discredited by several medical organizations.

They include the American Psychiatric Association, the AMA, and the National Association of Medical Examiners.

It is a diagnosis sometimes used to explain a suspect’s cause of death during an arrest by police when the suspect is showing extreme agitation.

Recently, California passed a law “prohibiting coroners, medical examiners, physicians, and PAs from using this diagnosis on death certificates or autopsy reports.”

Also, law enforcement are not “allowed to describe a person’s behavior in any incident report …” using this “diagnosis.”

This information comes from an article by Samatha Young in the KFF Health News on October 13, 2023.

While this “diagnosis” should not be used, it is my view that police are not necessarily at fault when a suspect dies during an arrest. For example, a suspect may die from a heart attack during an arrest.

As an illustration, people under the influence of cocaine can have a heart attack when agitated or even when they are not. A medical examiner needs to determine the cause of death when someone dies during an arrest. No assumptions should be made beforehand.

Peter M. Hartmann, MD

Family Medicine & Psychiatry

The Modern Inquisition

Burned at Stake

What personality trait in people raises a red flag with you?

I am concerned when someone appears possessed by an ideology. When someone is deeply convinced their worldview is right and the only valid moral stance, they are at risk of using force to achieve compliance from others.

An extreme example from the past is the Spanish Inquisition. Jews were required to convert or be burned at the stake. Thousands died.

Today, ideologues tend to use less extreme measures. When an institution is possessed by an ideology, people can lose their job for believing the wrong thing. People in all walks of life can be subject to being bullied on the internet. Invited speakers can be canceled at universities because they think the “wrong” things.

I still believe in freedom of speech, civil discourse, and being humble about what we think we know.

I am reasonably sure that those who burned others at the stake truly believed they were acting morally.

Be careful.

Peter M. Hartmann, MD

What would you change about modern society?

Angry arguements

Divisiveness. Our two largest political parties find it overly challenging to compromise on important issues, which leads to gridlock.

Disagreements on the internet too often erupt into name calling and threats. Cancel culture is now a thing.

Two modern philosophers have addressed this animosity and suggested that we adopt “epistemic humility.” That means we should be more humble about our claims and be more open to listening to one another.

I don’t think that means that we have to always change what we think, but we should be open to the possibility that our views on a given topic may not be as informed as we thought.

I am open to changing my mind about this. 🤔