Richmond, Va.– Earlier this week, the Committee to Protect Health Care released a letter signed by more than 300 medical professionals in support of Virginia’s Reproductive Freedom Amendment. For more information, check out the press release below, read the signed letter, and watch the press conference.
NOTE: The physicians below are speaking in their capacity as members of the Committee to Protect Health Care. They should be identified only as indicated in this news release.
Over 300 Virginia Medical Professionals Sign Letter in Support of Question 1
Physicians share why it’s important to keep politicians out of doctors’ offices
Over 300 medical professionals in Virginia have signed a letter endorsing Question 1, the proposed amendment to protect Virginians’ freedom to make reproductive health care decisions without fear of government interference or criminal punishment. Today, three of the physicians who’ve signed on in support gathered virtually to share why it’s important to keep politicians out of doctors’ offices, so that patients can make their own decisions with their doctors.
“As one of more than 300 medical professionals across the Commonwealth who have signed a letter supporting this amendment, I’m proud to stand with my colleagues today,” said Dr. Kimi Chernoby, an emergency medicine physician in Northern Virginia. ‘We are physicians. We know how important it is for patients to be able to trust their doctors to provide the care they need. As a physician, I see firsthand that reproductive health care is not one-size-fits-all. Every patient comes to us with their own circumstances, their own family, their own hopes and concerns. Question 1 is a simple, commonsense amendment that protects Virginians’ freedom to make reproductive health care decisions without fear of government interference or criminal punishment.”
“We come from different specialties and care for different patients, but we share something fundamental: We know that good health care depends on trusting patients and doctors to make decisions together,” said Dr. Andrew Wolf, a general medicine physician in Charlottesville. “Question 1 protects that freedom for Virginians making decisions about contraception, abortion, fertility care, pregnancy, childbirth, miscarriage and postpartum care. These decisions belong to the people whose lives and health are directly affected. They belong with patients and their doctors, not politicians.”
“Without Question 1, future politicians could change the rules governing reproductive health care with the swipe of a pen,” said Dr. Amy Nelson, an OBGYN in Richmond. “Our patients deserve more certainty than that. They deserve to know that when they walk into a doctor’s office, the decision about their health will be based on their individual circumstances and medical needs — not on whichever politician happens to be in power.”
Dr. Nelson went on to say, “I’m proud to be one of more than 300 medical professionals across the Commonwealth who have signed a letter supporting Question 1. We are standing together because we know what our patients need from us: medical care grounded in science, compassion and the individual circumstances of each person sitting in front of us. Question 1 protects our ability to provide that care and protects Virginians’ freedom to make these decisions for themselves. I’m voting Yes on 1 and urge you to do the same.”
About the Committee to Protect Health Care
The Committee to Protect Health Care is a national mobilization of doctors, health care professionals, and advocates who are building a pro-patient health care majority in Congress and in states so that we can live in an America where everyone has the health care they need to thrive. To learn more: www.committeetoprotect.org