While I think that this episode attempted to show multiple perspectives on a hot button issue -- and there are definitely shows that addressed it in less helpful ways -- I also think that the positions are more nuanced than illustrated here, despite its best efforts (and possibly far too nuanced for any show to really navigate well). But I mostly didn't appreciate the allusion to some blatant non-truths on the topic. If you listen to a licensed OB speak on the subject, one who is being rational and not politically charged, you will understand that NO ONE is preventing the removal of an ectopic pregnancy, NO ONE is going to be asked to not perform life-saving measures on a pregnant woman even if it compromises the baby, because an OB has two patients during a pregnancy: mother and child. And if the fetus is attached in the wrong place, like an ectopic pregnancy, that baby will not survive under ANY circumstance, is therefore not a viable pregnancy and is a potentially fatal danger to the mother, regardless if the mother wants the pregnancy or not. If the mother has cancer or some other medical condition, and terminating the pregnancy is the only chance of the mother's survival, then at that point, the baby isn't going to live without the mother if it has not reached even the most outlying gestational age of viability, and treating the mother or not is the same death sentence for the baby. These are procedures that are still available as medical treatment, without regard to the status of Roe v Wade. However you stand on the topic of abortion, it's still important to be properly informed, to NOT be contributing to the false information designed to breed fear and hysteria, because these things do matter, whether you are for or against abortion. Wherever you stand on the spectrum of this issue -- and I am unwilling to believe it's entirely a hard for or against in most cases, because we are all more nuanced than that as human beings -- at least do yourself the favor of being properly educated and not buying into the spread of information that is patently false, which helps no one. While they didn't openly address these issues in the plot of the episode, these were statements that were made in the background and I found that unnecessary, especially because it was never corrected. One thing I did really think this show got right here was the need for the medical community not to force the decision to abort onto an unwilling patient, because that patient does have the right, whether pregnant or not, to decline any and all treatment, even if a doctor disagrees with that decision. It troubles me greatly when I hear of women whose doctors try to pressure them into a procedure that they do not want, even when they decline with a full understanding and acceptance of the risks; if you're pro-choice then you have to accept that someone's choice may not be the same one you would make, and I thought that Dr Wilder's character was allowed to present that beautifully.
I hate when this show soapboxes on something it knows nothing about. If you do actual research on the whole fibroids/morcellator topic, you will see it was presented as one-sided (as most soapboxing is on this show). How do I know? I have literally had this surgery with one of the best GYN surgeons in this country specializing in laparoscopic myomectomy. The archaic way in which the procedure is discussed makes me so angry. A responsible surgeon performing this procedure carefully screens a patient before recommending it, complete with MRI to determine size, location, number, and any questionable appearance of the fibroids to be removed, biopsy if indicated to rule out sarcoma, avoiding the procedure in women who exhibit higher risk factors for (the extremely rare) sarcoma found in fibroids, and going over all the risks for all the various surgical options with the patient so that they can make an informed choice with which they are comfortable. This procedure was not "sold" to me but offered as an alternative for which I qualified if I wished to choose it -- even though the surgeon would have made more money on a traditional abdominal surgery, whether myomectomy or hysterectomy, which I know because I paid out of pocket to have the best surgeon (teaches the exact procedure I had done to doctors around the world) who also happened to be out of my insurance network (I didn't care). Yes, there are risks. There is a small chance a sarcoma can go undetected; that could be possible with many surgeries. There are careful measures in place to decrease the likelihood of any small piece remaining in the body, just in case. Is it perfect? No, but you have to make an informed decision for yourself based on your personal situation. There are risks with EVERY SURGERY. Every one of them. Once again, GA has shown it is incapable of presenting a side to a soapbox it doesn't agree with.
