Criminal Charges for Refusing Surgery
Jonathan Turley’s “When Choice Becomes Tyranny” (Commentary, March 21) grossly misrepresents the position of National Advocates for Pregnant Women. NAPW opposes the murder prosecution of a pregnant woman who allegedly refused a C-section and lost one of her twins to a stillbirth because it undermines healthcare for all patients. Doctors’ advice should not be enforceable through criminal prosecutions. They are not infallible.
Far from “indifference to babies” and a willingness to embrace an “extreme view,” NAPW’s position is consistent with overwhelming court opinion that holds that all adults, including those who become pregnant, have a right to determine whether to undergo surgery.
Lynn M. Paltrow
Exec. Dir., National
Advocates for Pregnant
Women, New York
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