An Open Letter to Pennsylvania Voters from Your Doctors
Dear Fellow Pennsylvanians,
As physicians, we typically keep our medical practices and our politics separate, but this is an unprecedented time. The Republican Party has abandoned science, and even truth itself. We are uniting behind an entire political party to protect our patients, families, and our collective communities. We know that a continued Republican majority in our state legislature presents an imminent danger to all citizens of our Commonwealth.
We Need to Act
With only weeks before the midterm elections on November 8th, we need to be very clear that electing a straight Democratic ticket in November is vital to the health of Pennsylvania.
A threat to our health and freedom
Pennsylvania is dangerously close to an abortion ban. The Republican dominated state legislature has already taken the first step to remove reproductive rights from the Constitution by way of State Senate Bill 106. Approved after minimal debate and almost entirely along party lines, this bill is slated to be placed on the ballot as a constitutional amendment in May of 2023. The timing of the bill is intentional; it is on the ballot during a primary election, when few vote, and when almost all ballot initiatives pass.
The danger we face
As physicians, we know that removing abortion access is a short step from denying rights to access health care, including access to contraception. This would have the greatest impact on our vulnerable and marginalized communities. History has shown that removing access to abortion does not decrease the number of abortions, only the number of safe abortions. Simply put, more women will die under Republican leadership.
If we allow Republicans to take away the reproductive rights of Pennsylvanians, the healthcare worker shortage is guaranteed to get worse. Young doctors will go elsewhere to train. Established physicians will leave to practice in states where they will not be criminalized, and where they can obtain safe obstetric and reproductive care for themselves and their own children.
What has to happen: Elect Democrats & empower a Democratic Governor
While it is critically important to elect the top of the ticket with Josh Shapiro as our next Governor, John Fetterman as our next Senator, and Democrats to the US House of Representatives, it is also essential to elect Democrats to the Pennsylvania House and Senate.
If the Democratic Party does not take control of the state legislature in Harrisburg this November, Republicans will continue their efforts to take away Pennsylvanians’ reproductive rights and bodily autonomy. Even a Democratic Governor Shapiro cannot veto or override a constitutional amendment. We need to elect legislators who will protect constituents and empower a Democratic Governor.
Our moral and civic responsibility: vote a straight democratic ticket
It is a great privilege to be a physician, and with that comes a moral and civic responsibility to advocate for the health and safety of our communities. We take an oath to do no harm, so when reproductive care is threatened, it shakes us to our core. Legislators who think they are capable and entitled to step into our exam rooms uninvited can only do harm. A woman’s right to bodily autonomy is unalienable.
Friends, family and our many communities — we ask you to register to vote, make a voting plan, and vote a straight Democratic ticket on November 8th so that we can continue to do our job keeping you healthy and safe.
Sincerely,
Physicians For a Healthy Pennsylvania
Belinda Birnbaum, MD
Maura Dunfey Hwang, DO
Ezekiel Tayler, DO
Lisa Goldstein, MD
Ann Steiner, MD
Jessica Klemens, DO
Anusha Viswanathan, MD
Karen Feisullin, MD
Arvind Venkat, MD, FACEP
Dan Vogl, MD
Benjamin Abella, MD MPhil
Austin Hwang, MD
Melissa Crawford Kennedy, MD
Kristy L. Whitman, MD
Yolanda Graham, MD
Jessica Zimmerman, MD
Sarah Burns, MD
Melissa Burkhart Zeserson, MD
Christine D, MD
Annie Steinberg, MD
Gary V Gordon, MD
Howard Kramer, MD, FACC
Carla R. Scanzello, MD, PhD
Donald S. Miller, MD
Anupama Shahane, MD, MPH
Jay Ghadiali, MD
Paul Thur, MD
Mara Thur, MD
Ellen Davis Conroy, DO
Melanie Schatz, MD
Theresa Birardi, DO
Alison Rubin, MD
Ruchika Patel, MD
Kendra Zuckerman, MD
Amanda Banner, MD
Sherry L Blumenthal MD, FACOG
Marissa Karpoff, MD
Amanda Finegold Swain, MD
Keli Donnelly, DO
Lisa Hamaker, MD
Sharon Fine, MD
Elizabeth S. Goldman, MD
Danielle Sandsmark, MD, PhD
Sunita D Nasta, MD
Allison Gittens, MD
Lisa Wray, MD
Zainul S Hasanali, MD, PhD
Aruni Jayatilleke, MD
Michael Gelfand, MD
Melinda Nugent, MD
Corinna Bowser, MD
Tricia Loehrig, DO
Julie Yeh, MD, MPH
Stephen Mory, MD
Manivanh Keobounnam, MD
Margaret Gilfillan, MD
Wendy Fuhr, MD
Janice Asher, MD
Laurie P. Gerstein, MD
Susan Holck, MD
Vivian Greenberg, MD, MPH, FACOG emeritus
Rebeccah Hoffman, MD
Catherine Ginty, MD
Rita Borromeo, MD
Alhambra Frarey, MD, MSHP
Amanda Paschke, MD MSCE
Jeanine Devlin, MD
Anne Klimke, MD
Lisa Rosen, MD
Tal Lee, DO
Sohni Dean, MD
Garrett E Bergman, MD, MBA
Marcelle Shapiro, MD
John Beight, MD
Susan Kassutto, MD
Katherine Herz, MD MS
Harry Frankel, MD
Kalen Miskel, MD
Joan H. Zeidman, MD
Matt Gerstein, MD
Robert Bassett, DO
Janine Barsoum, DO
Karla Testa, MD
Blair Hontz, DO
Jane B Porcelan, MD
Arati Karnik, MD
Jay Rothkopf, MD
Daniel Rubin, MD
Caroline Heise, MD
Sara Pentlicky MD, MPH
Stephanie D Flagg, MD
Macy VanArnam, MD
Parul Patel, MD
Deepa Rani Nandiwada, MD MSEd
Catherine Burdett, MD
Ajaykumar D Rao, MD
Alison Swigart, MD
Mira Mamtani, MD
Jaya Aysola, MD, MPH
Imali Sirisena, MD
Jacqueline Kohl, MD MPH
Kacey M Hamilton, MD
Justen Sumner, MD
Connie Liao, MD
Lynn Friedman, MD
Dana Mahlab, DO, MPH
Julia Switzer, MD
Maritza Martínez, MD
Eleanor Anderson, MD
Emily Bernstein, MD
Kaitlin Rinaldo, MD
Alfred Garfall, MD
Amal Amir, DO
Sage Mikami, MD
Mariah Elly, MD
Janine Barsoum, DO
Sudeshna Chatterjee-Paer, MD
Sarah Warsetsky, MD
Michael Sass Jr., DO
Jennifer Lewey, MD
Amy Mackey, MD
Amory Meigs, MD
Suzanne Shorten, MD
Amy Mackenzie, MD FACP
Omar Hussain, MD
Marjorie Somers MD
Raena Khorram, MD
Philip Hirshman, MD
Laura Czulada, DO
Savannah Morehouse, MD
Steven Fisher, MD
Frank Silvestry MD FACC
Marti Haykin, MD
Molly Castille, MD
Stephen M. Chrzanowski, MD
Petros Kopterides, MD
Shuchi Rodgers, MD
Juhi Shukla, DO
Joel D. Glickman, MD
Sharon Goldstein, MD FACS
Hanna M Zafar, MD, MHS
Lisa Jones MD, PhD
Margot O’Donnell, MD
Suzanne Reiss, MD
Katherine Schneider, MD
Christina Smith, MD
Evan Fitzgerald, MD
William Wieczorek, MD
Karen Lazarus, DO, MPH
Kaitlyn Ferrill, MD
Anne Sprogell, MD
Mackenzie Cummings, MD
Ravi Amaravadi, MD
Arshad Khan, MD
Dimitry Belogorodsky, DO, MS
Shruti Rani Kumar, MD
Maura Sammon, MD
Karen Simon, MD
Ruth Frank, MD
Leorah Walsh, MD
Gladys S. Fenichel, MD
Cathy Mercaldi, MD
Sarah Gleberman, MD
Tamara Trella, MD
Jillan Sackett, MD, MS
Joel Fein, MD, MPH
Lydia Sit, MD
Nicole Jaffe, MD
Carolyn Sciblo, MD
Mari Siegel, MD
Tina Chuong, DO
Ariella Glazer, MD
Evan Inqui Gooberman, DO, MPH
Kathryn Ruymann, MD
Sandra Rappe, MD
Sarah Boudova, MD, PhD
Lisa Perriera MD, MPH
Yu-Hsin Wu, MD
Rina Chabra, DO
Kyra C. Williams, MD
Holly Cummings, MD, MPH
Phedra Penn, MD
Anna Graseck MD
Angela Frankel, MD MPH
Abike James, MD
Sandra El-Hachem, MD
Keely Robinson, MD
Roberta N, Miller, MD
Lindsay Curtis, MD
Bree Zeyzus Johns, MD
Elizabeth Burton, MD
Bethany Kutz, MD, FAAP
Shannon Solt, DO
Bethany Perry, MD
Risa Altman, DO
Marina Katsnelson, MD
Tiffany Behringer, MD
P. Kaitlyn Edelson, MD MPH
Lisa Hackworth, DO
Neel S. Iyer, DO, MPH
Stephen Smith, MD
Rosalind Kaplan, MD, FACP
Melissa Lerman, MD, PhD
Patricia Davis, MD
Hannah Connor, MD
Karen Wheeler, MD
Zahra De Four MD
Emily Bernstein MD
Gary Mason, MD
Lawrence Kaplan, MD
Yuli Kim, MD
Tessa S. Cook, MD PhD FSIIM FCPP
Stephanie Fuller, MD
Lauren Sinnenberg, MD
Christoph von Andreae, MD
Suzanne Wolf, DO
Sheila Kambin, MD
Thomas S Dardarian, DO
Tyler Rainer, MD
References:
1. https://www.legis.state.pa.us/cfdocs/billinfo/billinfo.cfmsYear=2021&sInd=0&body=S&type=B&bn=106
2. https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/abortion
3. https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/2022/08/06/abortion-maternity-health-obgyn/
