Dr. Nicholas E. Bednarski | Schiavo Should Retract Statements

Letters to the Editor
Letters to the Editor
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The following is a copy of a letter to Assemblywoman Pilar Schiavo, D-Chatsworth.

As a physician with 40 years of experience, almost all of them in California, and as a native Californian, I was shocked and disappointed by your recent misstatements of fact before the Assembly and before the public, as well as your refusal to retract your errors.

I refer to your characterization of pregnancy centers licensed by the state of California as fake health clinics, specifically, “These clinics use deceptive practices targeted at vulnerable populations to draw them in by claiming they provide abortion services when they have no equipment or capacity to provide abortions … To be clear, they’re not licensed medical clinics.”

As quoted, your statement is demonstrably false. Pregnancy centers duly licensed by the state do not claim to offer abortion services but wish to provide those ambivalent about what to do about an unexpected pregnancy with support, information about alternatives to ending the pregnancy, and medical care during the prenatal period should that pregnant individual decide to undergo live birth of the child.

Your statements before the Assembly and the public are especially egregious given that there are two licensed pregnancy centers in your district. I strongly suggest you conduct an extended visit to each, and then retract your defaming and false statements both before the Assembly and through a public news conference. You are abusing your state office, seeking to limit the options for care for pregnant individuals, and limit their free choice about what to do with their bodies.

I am not nor have ever been practicing in the fields of obstetrics, gynecology, pediatrics, etc., and have never been involved with any pro- or anti-abortion group or movement. I have never counseled pregnant individuals regarding what choices they might make. I leave that to licensed medical professionals who specialize in those areas. So should you.

Dr. Nicholas E. Bednarski

Camarillo

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