In my 30 years as an emergency room physician I have frequently had occasion to care for women who had been in auto accidents. If the woman is of childbearing age, one of the first questions asked by the paramedics or the nursing staff on initial evaluation is whether or not there is any chance that the woman could be pregnant. If the answer is ‘yes’, it influences the subsequent evaluation and management of the patient. Once we become aware that there are two patients, we are always careful about exposing the mother and child to unnecessary radiation…The accepted practice is to go ahead and get the studies if needed but avoid radiation if possible. And we all realize our evaluation will not be complete until we have evaluated both patients.
Whether it was a minor fender bender or a high-speed auto rollover, one of the first questions asked by the women and their families is invariably, “How is the baby?” We would routinely obtain ultrasound evaluation and it was always a great relief when we would be able to detect the baby’s heartbeat and identify movement. But I have never ever heard a woman or a family member ask, “Doctor, how is the lump of tissue?” I doubt I ever will. The trauma of the accident and the concern of possible injury helps to bring the issue into sharp focus. Everyone, even the most zealous abortion supporter, is aware that what we are evaluating, what we are looking at with the ultrasound machine is a baby and we are hoping that the baby in utero is unharmed by the accident.
I remember once caring for a woman who had been in a one car rollover. She had swerved to miss a dog and went off the road and rolled the vehicle into a ditch. She was early in pregnancy and as I talked with her, she asked me to keep the pregnancy secret. She had not yet told her boyfriend and wasn’t sure if she was going to allow the pregnancy to continue. I tried to point out that she must have a good heart. I mean, after all, she risked life and limb and totaled her car to avoid hitting a dog… and I commended her for that. But I asked her if it wasn’t a little inconsistent to now consider terminating the life of her own child growing within her.
I did keep our secret and I said nothing to the boyfriend when he came to pick her up hours later at discharge. The woman was okay; bruised but no serious injury. The baby was okay also. And I often wonder if this woman who had swerved to protect the life of a dog, did what was necessary to protect the life of her own child.
Dr. Carl Malito is a retired Physician who continues to be active with Mesa County Right to Life.