“Political leaders should not interfere in the execution of this part of our mission as physicians to score political points.”
the Texas Association of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, the Texas Academy of Family Physicians, and TPS cosigned the letter.
Ultimately, Dr. Speer said, “the issue of support or opposition to abortion is an individual decision based on personal values and beliefs. Our respective orga- nizations have members on both sides of this issue and are therefore not advocat- ing for or against abortion by this letter. Rather, our organizations are advocating for the preservation of a physician’s right and duty to provide his or her patient with truthful and uninhibited medically appropriate information within the pa- tient-physician relationship.” He added that the groups “strongly oppose any interference into a physi- cian’s ability to use his or her medical judgment as to the information that is in the best interest of his or her patient.” Many Texas physicians may leave the
tensive public health research and rec- ommendations. TMA recognizes it’s vital these physicians be able to discuss these topics openly. Keller pediatrician Jason Terk, MD, chair of the TMA Council on Science and Public Health, says laws and rules that seek to limit the communication physi- cians can have with their patients are “a basic infringement of the physician-pa- tient relationship.”
“Physicians have a duty to counsel their patients or the parents of their patients on those things that should be done to reduce or eliminate preventable injuries. Political leaders should not in- terfere in the execution of this part of our mission as physicians to score politi- cal points,” Dr. Terk said. On a related issue, TMA President Michael E. Speer, MD, urged the Texas
Department of State Health Services (DSHS) in August not to adopt rules bar- ring physicians from discussing elective abortion with their patients even if the patients ask about it or if the standard of care indicates the physician and patient should consider it as an option. DSHS’ proposed rules would impose
a “gag order” on physicians who partici- pate in the Texas Women’s Health Pro- gram. “If the state indeed wants doctors to participate in the program, this is a step in the opposite direction,” Dr. Speer said in a letter to DSHS. “A rule should not compromise a phy-
Sharon Huff, MD Jason Terk, MD 36 TEXAS MEDICINE October 2012
sician’s medical judgment regarding what should or should not be discussed with a patient,” he said. “The proposed rules would prevent physicians from freely discussing medical care and pro- cedures with patients, and would set a dangerous prec- edent for future restrictions on patient-physician communications based upon the po- litical agenda of the day.” The American College of Obstetri- cians and Gynecolo- gists/Texas District,
Michael E. Speer, MD
program because the rules, if enacted, would force them to choose between practicing medicine in accordance with the standard of care and medical eth- ics or in accordance with a rule created to serve a political ideology, Dr. Speer wrote.
Talk and action Texas physicians are doing more than just talking to patients about preventing injuries. Many are involved in local and state efforts to prevent them or lessen their impact. Injury prevention is a priority of
TMA’s Council on Science and Public Health. “We know that injuries are a common cause of emergency department visits, hospitalizations, and deaths in Texas,” Dr. Terk said. “Prevention of those in- juries is manifestly more cost-effective than treating those injuries. Yet we still have far too high a frequency of prevent- able injuries that arise from motor vehi- cle collisions, unsafe water recreational activity, unsafely stored firearms, and failure to use proper head protection on bicycles, scooters, and motorcycles, to name just a few.” Drs. Terk and Kaplan believe Texas
improved its efforts to protect children by passing automobile safety seat laws
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