Doctors are dealing with ‘moral distress’ as they try to determine care for pregnant patients in states with abortion ban, particularly those facing medical emergencies. (Kieferpix/Getty Images)
The notion that hotly contested elections can foster stress and uncertainty is nothing new.
That said, this year’s election feels different and not for good reason.
Sadly, in several important areas, basic societal norms of simple decency that have long governed how we treat and refer to our fellow human beings — are being abandoned in favor of extreme and hateful stances that cause millions of good people to feel as if their lives are, quite literally at risk.
As a worried Wake County physician wrote in an op-ed for NC Newsline this week, some of her clients are racing to make medical decisions – from surgical sterilization to accessing contraception to gender affirming care – for fear their basic rights will end if the election goes a certain way.
Similar fears are being experienced by immigrants – many of whom have lived as Americans for decades – because of the violent language and extreme promises of some candidates.
The bottom line: Abraham Lincoln was right. “We are not enemies, but friends. We must not be enemies.” One prays next week’s results will reflect this truth.
For NC Newsline, I’m Rob Schofield.