Being pregnant shouldn't mean you can't get medical care

[cdebie]

Most women, when pregnant, vow not to ingest or be exposed to anything that might harm our baby. Some of us even go as far as avoiding things deemed “safe” by our doctor, because: “you never know”. And that is a choice we make and are comfortable with: we are given information, assessed the risk, and make a decision.

But what if you are in a situation where your own life or well-being could be compromised? What if there is no information on how the treatment could impact your baby’? Or whether not getting the treatment could be harmful for you, too?

Very often, women in that situation have limited options: delay the treatment until the baby is born (and potentially risk their life), get treatment and live with the risk or uncertainty (sometimes their entire life), or forego pregnancy altogether. But how do they make that decision? Today, the information available about medical treatments and their impact on pregnancy is limited, sometimes non-existent. And future parents are often left in the dark, having to rely solely on the opinion of their doctor, friends or family, who have little more information than they do.

The Pregnancy and Medicine Initiative was started because we believe there is a serious gap in knowledge, depriving pregnant women and future parents of some important rights. Pregnant women should have the right to appropriate medical care when they need it. They should be given the information they need to make the choices they are comfortable with. And they, like any other patient, should be able to benefit from the progress of science.

The only way to bring this issue to light is for parents to speak out about their own experience: what was it like to be denied treatment during pregnancy? How did you feel when you were recommended to terminate pregnancy – or not to attempt pregnancy – because you needed medical treatment?

Please help us support pregnant women’s rights, visit //www.fromdarktolight.org to find out how you can help.