skip to main content
skip to newscasts

Thursday, September 19, 2024

Public News Service Logo
facebook instagram linkedin reddit youtube twitter
view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

U.S. gender wage gap grows for first time in a decade; Trump has embraced NC's Mark Robinson, calling him 'Martin Luther King on steroids'; Volunteers sought as early voting kicks off in MN; Women's political contributions in congressional races fall short of men's.

view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

Rising threats of political violence, a Federal Reserve rate cut, crypto industry campaign contributions and reproductive rights are shaping today's political landscape.

view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

A USDA report shows a widening gap in rural versus urban health, a North Carolina county remains divided over a LGBTQ library display, and Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz' policies are spotlighted after his elevation to the Democratic presidential ticket.

Medical Students Oppose State Abortion Measure

play audio
Play

Wednesday, October 22, 2008   

Sioux Falls, SD – There's a growing chorus of South Dakota health professionals, including medical students, who are expressing strong opposition to Initiated Measure 11, which if approved next month would ban abortions. Second-year South Dakota medical students Veronika Holbeck and Kayt Calmus both believe passage of the ban would amount to government intrusion into medicine.

Holbeck says students coming into the medical profession are concerned the law would place doctors in a very difficult position, where they have to choose between doing what's right for their patients and doing what they can do to keep themselves out of jail.

"The measure is very worrisome. In school we're taught that a physician's job is to help the patient. The doctor's situation is irrelevant. It's important for physicians to put aside their personal beliefs and do what is medically best for their patients. I believe that young physicians who end up practicing in South Dakota will be much less inclined to put their patients first if we have a law that in effect allows the government to question the sound judgment of physicians."

Proponents of Measure 11 claim that only a small percentage of abortions are performed to safeguard the life and health of the woman, but medical student Kayt Calmus argues that physicians cannot know when they will be dealing with a high-risk pregnancy.

Supporters say the initiative would prevent the use of abortion as a means of birth control. But Calmus says every patient deserves the best care possible and that all health and safety decisions, including those involving abortion, should be left to the doctor and patient without government interference.


get more stories like this via email

more stories
Recipients of the Greenhouse Gas Reduction Grant can now access funding to drive financing for thousands of climate-focused and clean energy initiatives. (bilanol/Adobe Stock)

Environment

play sound

Michigan's most vulnerable communities are receiving federal funding to fight the devastating effects of climate change. It's part of the $27 billion …


Health and Wellness

play sound

September is Health Literacy Month, and a Denver-based group is working to help health professionals break a persistent pattern of discrimination …

Environment

play sound

A new report contends fossil fuel funding has biased Columbia University's climate research. The report, by two Columbia students, shows the …


Alabama releases roughly 220,279 men and 78,247 women from its prisons and jails each year. (Chad Robertson/Adobe Stock)

Social Issues

play sound

An Alabama woman is on a mission to help people who've been incarcerated for decades successfully transition back into society. The mission to …

Health and Wellness

play sound

In North Carolina, the gap between Medicaid reimbursement rates and the actual cost of dental care has reached a crisis point, impacting both …

So far in 2024, community health centers in North Dakota have screened 11,580 patients for food insecurity. Through those screenings, more than three thousand box meals have been distributed. (Adobe Stock)

Social Issues

play sound

September is Hunger Action Month. In North Dakota, it isn't just food banks trying to help underserved populations get nutritious items. Health …

Environment

play sound

Marine biologists conducting deep dives near five California islands are collecting data they hope will strengthen the case for ending gillnet fishing…

Environment

play sound

Researchers at Iowa State University are taking aim at the huge amount of energy used by data centers, now and in the future. They have developed a …

 

Phone: 303.448.9105 Toll Free: 888.891.9416 Fax: 208.247.1830 Your trusted member- and audience-supported news source since 1996 Copyright © 2021