Supreme Court to Women - Drop Dead
Supreme Court to Women - Drop Dead
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A Good Day To Advocate for Better Healthcare
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Correct Blood Pressure Measurements
Hypertension is the leading cause of cardiovascular disease and preventable mortality worldwide.1 Accurate blood pressure (BP) measurement is a cornerstone of hypertension diagnosis and management. The latest clinical practice guidelines emphasize several key steps for accurate measurement, including appropriate cuff size selection, back support, feet flat on the floor with legs uncrossed, and appropriate arm position (ie, midcuff positioned at heart level with arm supported on a desk or table).
Despite these recommendations, proper arm position is commonly overlooked in daily practice.2,3 For example, in the US, BP is often measured with patients seated on an examination table without any arm support or with inadequate support (eg, resting on their lap or supported by health care professionals holding the patient’s arm). In resource-limited settings, a desk or table for arm support is often unavailable.
The results were significant average Systolic blood pressure (the larger number) was 4 points higher when measured with the arm in the lap compared to resting on a desk near heart level and 7 points higher if the arm were dangling at the patient’s side (JAMA - footnotes)
US Supreme Court to Women “Drop Dead”
The U.S. Supreme Court declined on Monday to hear a bid by the US government to enforce in Texas federal guidance requiring hospitals to perform abortions if needed to stabilize a patient's emergency medical condition.
The justices turned away the Justice Department's appeal of a lower court's decision that halted enforcement of the guidance in Texas, where a Republican-backed near-total ban on abortion is in effect, and against members of two anti-abortion medical associations.
The guidance reminded healthcare providers across the country of their obligations under a 1986 federal law called the Emergency Medical Treatment and Labor Act (EMTALA) to ensure Medicare-participating hospitals offer emergency care stabilizing patients regardless of their ability to pay. Medicare is the government healthcare program for the elderly. Hospitals that violate EMTALA risk losing Medicare funding.
So effectively the Supreme Court decides that state law has supremacy over federal law.
Here is why it is so important. Not only do 21 states effectively ban abortion - they conflate abortion with miscarriage management and are willing to allow a woman to be critical before acting to save her life. We have already seen that wasn’t the case in Georgia where they waited 20 hours before acting and the woman died.
Wait there’s more. It turns out that in large parts of the US, even where abortion is legal, if the ambulance happens to take you to a religious hospital - you are out of luck. They will let you get as close as possible to death before acting or they will send you away to die elsewhere as we saw in yesterday’s article. AND STATES HAVE LAWS THAT ALLOW THEM TO DENY CARE FOR “MORAL/ETHICAL REASONS WITHOUT CONSEQUENCES - SHIELD LAWS.
Nationally, nearly 800,000 people have only Catholic or Catholic-affiliated birth hospitals within an hour’s drive, according to KFF Health News’ analysis. For example, that’s true of 1 in 10 North Dakotans. In South Dakota, it’s 1 in 20. When care is more than an hour away, academic researchers often define the area as a hospital desert. Pregnant women who must drive farther to a delivery facility are at higher risk of harm to themselves or their fetus, research shows.
Many Americans don’t have a choice — non-Catholic hospitals are too far to reach in an emergency or aren’t in their insurance networks. Ambulances may take patients to a Catholic facility without giving them a say. Patients often don’t know that hospitals are affiliated with the Catholic Church or that they restrict reproductive care, academic research suggests.
Look at the chart below. It is from a recent Kasier Family Foundation report.
States that ban abortion and have laws that shield hospitals from lawsuits when they choose not to perform needed medical care are dark purple. States with shield laws only are medium purple. States with an abortion ban are light purple and states with neither are very lightly colored. I counted 25 states with shield laws only. The number of states where abortion is legal and there is no shield law is SEVEN.
This situation needs correction and fast. Women are dying that don’t have to and this is a politically manufactured crisis.
MAKE SURE TO VOTE ACCORDINGLY UP AND DOWN THE BALLOT
ACTION
Use RESISTBOT via [Apple Messages / WHATSAPP / MESSENGER] or by texting SIGN PQYYVJ to 50409 on your cell phone to send this message to your member of Congress and your Senators and the President. We need the Women’s Health Protection Act passed that legalizes abortion nationwide and then we need federal legislation that clearly indicates that the Emergency Medical Treatment and Labor Act has supremacy over state laws so that all hospitals can save people who present in crisis and that doctors in all states are protected from retribution at work when they act to save a woman’s life.
“I am your constituent and I am livid that the US Supreme Court has decided that the federal EMTALA, Emergency Medical and Treatment Act does not apply to pregnant persons who show up in crisis at a hospital in Texas. We have three problems here and I want you to get in gear and get them fixed.
The first is that women are not full citizens with bodily autonomy in 21 states where abortion is banned so pass the Women’s Health Protection Act and get it legalized everywhere.
Second is that the US Supreme Court has refused to enforce the Emergency Medical Treatment and Labor Act in Texas with respect to a pregnant person in crisis - essentially allowing hospitals in that state to tell pregnant women in crisis to be ready to die and then they will think about care - if at all.
Third, we have a problem that religious hospitals are refusing to treat pregnant women who present in crisis - even in states where abortion is legal. It doesn’t go well for the women. Sepsis and the risk of death are very real for them. A woman with an unviable pregnancy in California was just turned away and was hemorrhaging (a clot the size of an apple) and given towels and a bucket and told to go away.
I mention this because states have shield laws that protect them from lawsuits if they don’t want to perform treatment that they view as objectionable.
I want you to craft and support legislation that makes EMTALA superior to ANY state law and that includes the shield laws that protect religious hospitals from saving the lives of pregnant people in crisis.
Lives are at risk every day that you don’t act - So Act. I will be watching for your response and your public statements and I will vote accordingly.”
RESOURCES
Find My Elected Officials
Contact State and Federal Representatives - phone and email
Healthcare Advocacy (Us) Website
Our Newsletter resources including reproductive healthcare - Healthcare Advocacy Reading List
Important Healthcare Resources
League of Women Voters Healthcare Reform Toolkit
Organizations to Contact
National Nurses United Medicare4All
Physicians for a National Health Program
One Payer States
Healthcare Now
Reproductive Health
NARAL - Pro Choice America
Charley. chatbot abortion resource - make sure to use a secure incognito browser if you live in a state that has banned abortion
Planned Parenthood
Miscarriage and Abortion Hotline has references about where to procure abortion medications. They also assist women in the process of self managed abortion or miscarriage by phone or text and will respond in an hour. Details and hours of operation at their website.
United State of Women Reproductive health page (bottom of the page) has important resources such as medical support, access to Telehealth, prescriptions by mail, and legal support references.
Practice careful communications - The Digital Defense Fund has a number of tips to keep texts, calls, and internet use private. Here is their site.
If you need financial help with an abortion try abortionfunds.org
Claims Denials and Appeals & What to Do
Appeal a Healthcare Decision
Appeal/Negotiate a Hospital Bill
Disinformation Management
Cybersecurity Infrastructure Security Agency
Save Democracy
Chop Wood, Carry Water by Jessica Cravens
RESISTBOT
Link to the RESISTBOT site to learn more
Link to Chop Wood, Carry Water RESISTBOT write up
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