'Babies are going to die,' says one of last doctors delivering babies in rural southwest Alabama

[Stuckinthebush]

https://www.al.com/news/2024/07/babies-are-going-to-die-says-one-of-last-doctors-delivering-babies-in-rural-southwest-alabama.html

Dr. Max Rogers doesn’t want to sugarcoat the fallout of closing one of the last labor and delivery departments in rural southwest Alabama.

An obstetrician/gynecologist at Grove Hill Memorial Hospital, Rogers once used euphemisms to describe what might happen if the small hospital ended the service. Now that the closure is set for Aug. 16, he wants to state his predictions clearly.

“I used to say, ‘poor outcomes,’” Rogers said. “I’m just going to tell it like it is. That means that babies are going to die, and mothers are going to die because we’re not going to have any obstetrical expertise to take care of them.”

Grove Hill Memorial Hospital on Wednesday announced the closure of its labor and delivery department. The facility sits in rural Clarke County, a good 90 minutes north of Mobile or two hours southwest of Montgomery. It is the last hospital in rural southwest Alabama still delivering babies.

(snip)


My comments:
This is my home state and I see it getting worse and worse. So, in rural Alabama there is no money to continue to have labor and delivery units. On top of that, they have draconian anti abortion laws that make it more likely that women and young girls will get pregnant. On top of that it is getting harder and harder to recruit OB/GYNs to the state. The dystopia that is Alabama is getting more dystopian by the day.

[leftieNanner]

1. Awful. Similar things happening

In Idaho and Oklahoma. Hospitals closing maternity departments and doctors leaving the states.

[Stuckinthebush]

2. I work at a large academic medical center in Alabama

We are having a harder time recruiting physicians in general but definitely OB/GYNs. If I'm a newly minted MD looking for an OB/GYN residency, I'm thinking twice about going to a red state.

[Irish_Dem]

4. The specialty is not safe anywhere.

At any point in time, the GOP can take over a state legislature and send you to prison.

[Stuckinthebush]

8. What will happen to OB/GYNs if they ban it nationwide?

Will students stop planning to go into that profession? Will they go overseas for training and jobs?

So many downstream effects.

[Irish_Dem]

9. Probably go into other specialties which are safe.

You are not going to invest a huge sum of money, time, training into a job
where at the whim of politicians you can lose your license and go to prison.

Politicians telling you to violate your ethical code to save lives, or go to prison.

[Stuckinthebush]

10. And once again, women suffer

What in the hell is happening to this country?

[Irish_Dem]

11. That's the point, to teach women a lesson.

Make them subservient and second class citizens again.

The GOP politicians don't care about abortion, their girlfriends/mistresses,
wives, daughters will get boutique high quality abortions on demand, 24/7.

[slightlv]

13. You're right... women will suffer.

And eventually, women will take care of women, even if they only have a certification of midwife. They're forcing us back to the middle ages and before, when barbers were doctors (if I remember correctly). Midwives took care of birthing babies and helping an expectant mother through pregnancy. I figure that's where we're headed. No use going to a hospital unless the emergency is something that has precious little to do with reproductive care. Yes... knock on effects. Women depending on other women for their needs, outside the medical community, means that women will take care of their own families outside the medical community whenever possible... especially as costs are increasing. Eventually, the knock-ons even effect male doctors and the entire medical community. Of course, I'm not sure someone hasn't already gamed this out and is leading it that way. Just one more aspect of modern life and freedom to be stripped from us.

We've got a long way to go before we get to this point, but already because of costs, I do more to help my husband with herbs, etc. that I learned decades ago from a Curandera who was my college Anthropology professor. She used to say she was from Columbia... where the GOOD heroin comes from! (LOL... this was a LONG time ago).

[Skittles]

6. if repukes have their way

EVERY state will be red concerning "reproductive rights".

[slightlv]

14. Yip...

EVERY state will be red concerning "reproductive rights".

Yippers... Red with blood dripping from their hands.

[Irish_Dem]

3. Richest country in the history of the world.

No health care for women.

[Skittles]

5. repukes DO.NOT.CARE.

they don't care about babies, it's all about CONTROL

[Stuckinthebush]

7. I agree

They talk a good game but in the end, they really don't care. If a child is raped and gets pregnant, they don't care. Just protect that zygote! Oh, and when it is born then life is on them. Good luck!

[keithbvadu2]

12. Dead women to prove their supposed pro-life bonafides.

[slightlv]

15. And lots of dirty, unhealthy, hungry children

to work in their businesses for a pittance of what is minimum wage now (they want to do away with a minimum wage, anyway).