What motivates an abortion provider? What brings an individual to this important - and regretfully still controversial - practice of medicine? The answers are as varied as the brave doctors who do the work of helping women. One such doctor has shared his story in the 2008 book "Jailhouse Journal of an OB/GYN." We know from the title that this book will not have a happy ending.
Dr. Bruce Steir's memoir starts out an interesting and easy read, as he describes his youth in Miami Beach, his sister's unwanted pregnancy in 1943, his adventures as a young doctor learning his craft, his years in the military, and the great satisfaction he derives from his work. As he shares his anecdotes, he also discusses racism, sexism, anti-Semitism, the impact of World War II, and the politics of women's health. For much of his early career, abortion was illegal in the U.S. Dr. Steir's compassion, political beliefs, and deep respect for women shine through when he describes his feelings about the lack of justice for women, the punitive adoption system, and how unsafe abortion humiliates, harms, and often kills women. As a medical student, when faced with a neighbor's deteriorating medical condition after she has had an unsafe abortion, Dr. Steir (who gets her medical care on time) writes:
The act of abortion is to remove an unplanned and unwanted pregnancy. The abortion is to erase the mistake they [the couple] have made together and get on with their lives. That is why there will always be abortion, be it legal or illegal, in this imperfect world that we breed in.
Dr. Steir might never have written this memoir if not for the tragic death of a young woman whose abortion he performed in 1996. The death of a woman from a legal abortion is extremely rare in the United States and, indeed, as to be expected, Steir was devastated. The witch-hunt that ensued only compounded this tragedy. Steir was charged with homicide, transforming a civil suit of malpractice (in and of itself debatable) into a criminal case with the charge of murder (marked by improper testimony and even more questionable). The vicious anti-abortion network in California was looking for a scapegoat, and thanks to their undue power and oppressive collaboration with the medical board of California and the district attorney's office in Riverside County, Steir became a convicted felon. He was incarcerated and forced to give up his medical license, thus ending his 40-year medical career.
Over these four decades of delivering babies and performing abortions, Dr. Steir touched, and saved, many lives. Indeed, I worked with him for a few years in Seattle, Washington, and it would be difficult to find a more skilled and compassionate physician. Dr. Steir performed 40,000 legal abortions throughout the years, helped countless women have babies and abortions, and his message is more important than ever. As he writes, "With the possible demise of Roe vs. Wade, my memoir will be timely and of great interest for anyone concerned about the abortion issue."
With the election of pro-choice Barack Obama to the presidency, is Roe vs. Wade safe for now? Perhaps, but true access to safe abortion care for young women, poor women, and rural women remains a crisis. In addition, destigmatizing abortion in our society continues to elude us, even after 35 years of legal abortion. Dr. Steir's journal reminds us how critical it is to never back down and to keep working and speaking out for women's health and dignity everywhere. The work for reproductive justice is never over and this personal narrative is an excellent contribution to the ongoing discussion of abortion provision and the importance of safe abortion care and compassionate providers. Thank you, Dr. Steir.
