‘I’m Not Trying To Be Confrontational’: Bill Cassidy & Doctor Clash Over Late-Term Abortions

5 months ago

During a Senate Health Committee hearing on Tuesday, Sen. Bill Cassidy (R-LA) asked witnesses about restricting late-term abortions.

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Transcript

00:00 Senator Cassidy, I'll allow you closing remarks, and I have not yet voted, so keep it short.

00:05 Go ahead.

00:06 >> Male Speaker: First, I'd like to ask unanimous consent, in terms of the record and op-ed

00:10 written by Kelly Crawford, founder and executive director of ABLE Speaks, an organization created

00:15 in memory of her son, who was diagnosed with trisomy 18.

00:18 The organization supports families.

00:20 I think they would feel, just as Senator Kaine, they feel as if the children who were born

00:25 with trisomy 18 are being selectively aborted, and that, of course, makes them feel like

00:30 their lives are threatened.

00:31 Dr. Verma, just a quick question.

00:33 You rightly point out that rarely is this done.

00:36 Would you agree, therefore, that it would be reasonable to restrict late-term abortions?

00:41 >> Dr. Verma: So, first, late-term abortion is not a medical term.

00:45 We tend to say abortion later in pregnancy.

00:46 >> Male Speaker: No, just bear with us.

00:48 Would you find it reasonable that after some week, that it would be reasonable to restrict

00:54 an abortion after a certain period of week, given that, you know, it's the life of the

00:58 mother and such like that?

00:59 Because I think that's really the crux.

01:01 Is there any kind of limit that would be placed -- if you say this hardly ever happens or

01:06 never happens, I think was your words, would it be reasonable, then, to restrict when this

01:10 would occur?

01:11 >> Dr. Verma: When I provide abortion care later in pregnancy, I want you to envision

01:14 a patient who has a nursery designed and --

01:17 >> Male Speaker: She has to vote.

01:18 >> Dr. Verma: -- and been picked out.

01:19 >> Male Speaker: And we have to -- I'm just saying --

01:20 >> Dr. Verma: Who is diagnosed with a terrible fetal anomaly.

01:22 >> Male Speaker: But that is the issue.

01:23 >> Dr. Verma: And a worsening health condition.

01:24 >> Male Speaker: This is not a theoretical.

01:27 I'm just saying, if the child is otherwise well, and the mother's health is well, since

01:32 you say this hardly ever happens, is it reasonable to have --

01:35 >> Dr. Verma: I will say abortion at the moment of birth does not happen.

01:39 I also take care of patients who need abortion care later in pregnancy --

01:42 >> Male Speaker: I'm not sure you want to answer me.

01:43 >> Dr. Verma: -- for many different reasons.

01:44 >> Male Speaker: And I respect it, by the way.

01:46 I really did respect you speaking of that tension between the week 23 that you would

01:50 abort and the week 23 --

01:52 >> Dr. Verma: It's tough.

01:53 >> Male Speaker: -- and the week 23.

01:54 >> Dr. Verma: Yeah.

01:55 >> Male Speaker: I think you're avoiding -- I don't mean to be confrontative, but you're

01:57 avoiding the dialogue here.

01:58 >> Dr. Verma: No, no, I totally hear you, and I'm not trying to be confrontational.

02:01 I'm just trying to highlight what these situations actually look like.

02:04 >> Male Speaker: Okay.

02:05 >> Dr. Verma: So, for example --

02:06 >> Male Speaker: I'm sorry.

02:07 Let me just --

02:08 >> Dr. Verma: -- I did an abortion care later in pregnancy for someone --

02:09 >> Male Speaker: I'm not going to get an answer to that, but let me -- and Dr. Francis,

02:11 will you just finish up on that question, please?

02:14 >> Dr. Francis: Absolutely.

02:15 Well, you know, I think certainly beyond the point where a child can survive outside of

02:20 his or her mother, there would never be a reason you would need to intentionally end

02:25 that child's life.

02:26 You would simply deliver that baby.

02:28 You'd take care of mom, and you'd take care of baby in an appropriate way, and I think

02:32 that that's something that I would hope that all of us at this table could agree upon.

02:36 >> Male Speaker: And with that, I yield.

02:37 Thank you.

02:38 >> Dr. Francis: Okay.

02:39 I just --

02:40 >> Male Speaker: Let me just give Dr. Vernal -- I don't think that Senator Cassidy gave

02:46 you the opportunity to respond effectively.

02:48 Take two minutes to respond and say what you wanted to say.

02:51 >> Dr. Vernal V. Varnal: I appreciate it.

02:52 I was just trying to paint a picture as a doctor who's actually sitting with these patients

02:56 and providing this full spectrum of care, what this care actually looks like.

03:00 So when I'm providing care for a patient, for example, that comes in later in pregnancy,

03:05 a lot of times it's a patient who's received a terrible fetal diagnosis and is having to

03:10 make that difficult decision.

03:13 They have a nursery set up.

03:14 They have a name picked out, and what they need from me as their doctor is support.

03:19 I have some patients that choose to continue that pregnancy and deliver at term, and other

03:24 patients who say, "That's too traumatic.

03:25 I can't do that."

03:27 And my job is to support them in both of those situations with whatever is right in their

03:33 life.

03:34 I think as doctors, we all recognize that providing life-saving care sometimes means

03:39 ending a pregnancy.

03:40 And to call that care something besides an abortion is an issue of semantics to further

03:46 a political agenda.

03:47 And so the care that we're referring to that sometimes means ending a pregnancy, that is

03:51 abortion care, and that is what we are talking about here, and is sometimes necessary life-saving

03:56 care for our patients who come in needing this care for a variety of reasons.

04:01 Thank you for that comment.

‘I’m Not Trying To Be Confrontational’: Bill Cassidy & Doctor Clash Over Late-Term Abortions

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