I Really Didn't Plan to Post Anything Until My Next Sabbatical, But It's Time to Get Real (Part I)

A niece of a retired law-school colleague is a Clinical Professor of Emergency Medicine at UCLA Medical School. She reposted a message from a colleague that deserves to be heard far and wide. Please read carefully:

Shared from a colleague (Sunny Smith):

For those who may not be a physician or aren’t in physician communities - yes, it’s true, it’s actually true.  

The United States government has required our leading health agencies to remove basic information on guidelines and best practices used every day for medical care and public health.   For treatment and prevention.   Every day clinical care.  

This has to be one of the most surreal (and terrifying) times in modern history. 

They have taken down information on antibiotics, antivirals, sexually transmitted infections, contraception, vaccines, and gender related issues.  

Physicians are outraged and alarmed.   

Physicians are banding together to obtain and share the information they need to treat patients.     They are literally saying “i have the guidelines for this, does anyone have guidelines for that”.  

Emergency physicians. Pediatricians.  OB Gyns.  Primary care.  

Real physicians.  Real conversations.  

This is not a dress rehearsal.  

We won't keep quiet and many are screaming from the rooftops.  

If you are not alarmed, you should be.  

11 days into this administration and by 5pm Friday our nation's health organizations have been forced to take down crucial health information. 

This is “Defending women from gender ideology” ?!?!?!!!!!!!! 

Let’s be very very very clear - this is NOT defending women.  

Do not be gaslit for one second that any of this is to protect women.   

That is the absolute antithesis of what this does to women.  And the whole population. 

This Executive Order alongside DEI EOs and blaming DEI for plane crashes. 

DO. NOT. BELIEVE. THESE. LIES.  

DEI did not cause plane crashes. 

Helping physicians treat infections or prevent pregnancies is not bad. 

The shock and awe and overwhelm and division and othering and inciting fear is intentional. 

Please speak up.  Anywhere and everywhere.   The compound effect of real people talking to other real people matters.  

You are not powerless.  They just want you to think you are.  Who wins when you think that? 

They can not paralyze over 300 milllion people.   

The way out of learned helplessness is to take small actions over and over again.  To take control anywhere within your own locus of control.   

And - Even if you were on the fence before or voted for him or are in a red state - PLEASE - consider having a tiny bit more opennness to start to question what is happening right now.  Look at data.  (May we all become increasingly aware of and question our own internalized bias, implicit or explicit bias, assumptions, racism, misogyny).

If you trust your LIFE to physicians, during any truly imminently life-threatening emergency for you or your loved ones, please listen when we say this is NOT okay.

Edited to add (after a physician colleague shared this immediately)  ->  Feel free to share.

In Part II I will provide some links to the Executive Orders and missing web pages.