Viewpoint: Health Department officials wrong to release abortion statement
Right before the hustle and bustle of the July 4 holiday, the St. Joseph County Department of Health released a statement that it was lobbying for abortion. It did this without the knowledge of the County Commissioners. And, it did so without a vote of its own board.
The press release was put forward by Health Officer Dr. Robert Einterz; Deputy Health Officer Dr. Mark Fox; Health Department Board President Heidi Beidinger; and Board Vice President Jason Marker. They made this statement in the wake of the Supreme Court’s Dobbs decision, which said, “The Constitution does not confer a right to abortion.” The issue has now been left to each state to determine how it will craft its abortion laws. The Indiana legislature plans to address this issue beginning this week.
It was wrong of health department officials to inject themselves into the politics of this issue. It is not the role of St. Joseph County government to provide, refer, advocate or lobby for abortion. It is also not the role of the health department to set the county’s policy agenda. That role belongs to the commissioners. The job of the St. Joseph County Department of Health is to connect county residents to services that positively benefit the health and wellness of their families. Additionally, the health department is charged with making sure our restaurants are clean, and that our county’s septic systems are properly installed and maintained. It is not a part of its job description to lobby for abortion or expand their work into controversial policy areas. By not alerting any of their overseeing bodies of their release ahead of time, it appears that those individuals who put this statement forward did not want to risk being stopped by making their opinions on abortion known.
Furthermore, the four-page policy paper the St. Joseph County Department of Health released alongside its statement misleads women as to the legal definition of abortion. For instance, the paper defines miscarriages as “spontaneous abortions.” However, a natural miscarriage is not classified as abortion under the law. The state’s definition of abortion does not preclude a doctor from treating a woman experiencing a natural miscarriage or stillbirth, nor does it preclude a doctor from delivering a baby early due to medical emergency. Equating natural miscarriage to abortion does a disservice to women who are left to wonder if their medical care would be put into jeopardy should more limits to abortion be put into place. This is not the case, and the health department is irresponsible for clouding the issue in such a way.
I received more than 100 emails regarding this statement from St. Joseph County residents. For that reason, I wanted to respond to this release and make it clear that the St. Joseph County Department of Health’s statement does not reflect my views as commissioner of St. Joseph County. Thank you to all the citizens who reached out to me on this issue.
Deb Fleming represents District 3 on the St. Joseph County Board of Commissioners.
This article originally appeared on South Bend Tribune: Health Department officials erred in releasing abortion statement
