On Wednesday night, MSNBC’s Rachel Maddow was back on the pro-choice rallying campaign interviewing Dr. David Eisenberg, the medical director of the last Planned Parenthood abortion clinic in Missouri.
Dr. Eisenberg began by stating: “I really appreciate the opportunity and for you to tell our story so well in national media and explain what’s been happening here for woman in Missouri.” Maddow has been keeping a close eye on Missouri over the last few weeks, frequently warning viewers ad nausea that it may be the first state to “go dark” on abortion.
Flattered, Maddow responded: “Well thank you for saying that, I wanted to start off and give you the opportunity to correct me if I am getting any of this wrong. Honestly, some of this feels like dystopian fiction so I would be delighted if I’d had any of this wrong. But basically the way we’ve been telling this story is accurate?” Preventing the killing of thousands of innocent children sounds more utopian then dystopian, but to each their own.
Just last week, Maddow complained to NBC Late Night host Seth Meyers that abortion restrictions were "horror-movie disturbing."
Eisenberg reiterated this ‘dystopian’ rhetoric saying: “Dystopian. It has been a difficult reality for me and my patients. We do everything we can to provide the highest quality patient center care that planned parenthood has been known for over 100 years and we take that seriously.” He continued; “Inhumane because the state reinterpreted the rules just doesn't seem fair. Abortion care is health care. We don't ask to be treated differently. We ask too much treated the same as every other health care provider.” Health care for whom? Certainly not women as thousands of them are being aborted without a care yearly.
Maddow continued discussing the “inhumane” pelvic exam recently mandated for abortion patients by Missouri: “…did they warn you they were making this change in interpretation, did they tell you why they were doing it and give you an indication to what they think this is for?”
Eisenberg explained: “If they are having a pap test or STD testing or just before a surgical abortion so I can understand her pelvic anatomy before I perform her abortion. It's health care. A patient about to have a colonoscopy has a rectal exam just before, but not three days in advance.” Of course to pro-choicers this is clearly outrageous, a woman shouldn’t have to wait three days to kill her child.
To conclude, Maddow commended Dr. Eisenberg and his clinic for deciding to disobey state laws and refuse to give pelvic exams: “You made a remarkable decision that you are going to stop going along with what the state government of Missouri has been making you do for the past three weeks.”
Maddow will be playing debate moderator to 2020 Democratic candidates next week. Just imagine the questions she’ll ask about abortion.
Here is the transcript from the June 19 episode of The Rachel Maddow Show:
The Rachel Maddow Show
06/20/19
9:48:03
RACHEL MADDOW: Joining us now is Dr. David Eisenberg, he’s the medical director at the St. Louis Planned Parenthood clinic that is the last abortion provider standing in Missouri. Dr. Eisenberg, thank you so much for being here, I know this is a stressful and busy time for you.
DR. DAVID EISENBERG: It is and I really appreciate the opportunity and for you to tell our story so well in national media and explain what's been happening here for women in Missouri.
MADDOW: Well thank you for saying that, I wanted to start off and give you the opportunity to correct me if I am getting any of this wrong. Honestly, some of this feels like dystopian fiction so I would be delighted if I’d had any of this wrong. But basically the way we’ve been telling this story is accurate?
EISENBERG: Perfectly accurate as the physician who’s been the one taking care of women in Missouri for the last three weeks at our Planned Parenthood health center, forced to do things that seem unthinkable. Dystopian. It has been a difficult reality for me and my patients. We do everything we can to provide the highest quality patient center care that planned parenthood has been known for over 100 years and we take that seriously. The idea that we’ve been having to put women through something totally unnecessary, uncomfortable. Inhumane because the state reinterpreted the rules just doesn't seem fair. Abortion care is health care. We don't ask to be treated differently. We ask too much treated the same as every other health care provider. The patients don't want to be kicked around like a political football here in Missouri.
MADDOW: When the state decided to newly interpret regulations and state laws to require you to do this new exam that didn't have to do before, the one you described in the vivid terms, did they warn you they were making this change in interpretation, did they tell you why they were doing it and give you an indication to what they think this is for?
EISENBERG: I honestly don't have a good explanation for why. There is no medical or legal justification. The American college of physicians and obstetrics and gynecology support having a pelvic exam is uncomfortable for patients, but justified if the patient has a medical need. If they are having a pap test or STD testing or just before a surgical abortion so I can understand her pelvic anatomy before I perform her abortion. It's health care. A patient about to have a colonoscopy has a rectal exam just before, but not three days in advance.
MADDOW: You made a remarkable decision that you are going to stop going along with what the state government of Missouri has been making you do for the past three weeks. If you can stay with us for another few minutes, I would love to talk to you in detail about how you arrived in that decision.
