STATEMENT PRWAR.ED FOR DELIVERY BEFORE THE HOUSE SUBCOMMITTEE ONHEALTH AND THE ENVIRONMENT OF THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES ENERGY AND COMMERCE COM- MITTEE ON APRIL 3, 1981 BY DR. MARGARET W. BRIDWELL ON BEHALF OF THE WOMEN & HEAL'IH ROUNDTABLE, WASHINGTON, D.C. Mr. C&irman, members of the committee. .My name is Margaret W. Bridwell. I am an obstetrician-gynecologist by training and a metier of the American College of Obstetrics and Gynecology. As a member of ,the American 'Medical Women's Assoc- iation, I participate in the Women & Health Roundtable; I am here today represen- ting the views of the Women t Health Roundtable. 'Ihe Roundtable is a Washington- based association of health professional and women's organizations concerned with the impact of government.policies on women's health. On behalf of the Roundtable, I.would like to thank the committee for this opportunity to present our concerns regarding the proposed appointment of Dr. C. Everett Koop as Surgeon General. We understand that this is an unusual * hearing occasioned by.an unusual occurance, but because we are deeply committed to the view that the Surgeon General position is a key.element in U.S. public health policies and programs, we wish to share with you our thinking on this . subject. Atthe outset, on behalf of the Women & Health Roundtable, I want to state our regard-for Dr. Koop as a superbly skilled clinician. One cannot but be impressed with hfs energetic, effective surgical practice and beyond that, his compassion and commitment to his patients.' -We empathize with that-concern for patients-and indeed the Roundtable is-submitting testimony because it believes that the Surgeon General can play a key role in alerting the nation to what is necessary or useful i for the public's health. Unfortunately, from what we have read about Dr. Koop's views on several public health issues, it is our opinion that Dr. Koop would be unable * .Bridwell Page two to advocate policies .that would support a healthier nation. Therefore we would like to bring.these statements to your attention.- My comments will center on four major public health issues: consumer health ,activism, family planning, antenatal,diagnosis and access to safe abortion. . o First, the consumer health movement, which.cAme;to public attention in the early seventies, is generally recogni-zed.asa,key component of a health policy which stresses disease prevention and.health .promotion. When people become partners with their physicians in seeking to maintain good health 'status, then more. effective medical care is possible. The women's health movement; which has been part of the consumer health movement, has stressed the -importance of women taking responsibility for their health and learning self care. Thus, we were deeply troubled by' Dr. Koop's statements in the Philadelphia Bulletin (February 14, 1981) Tn which Dr. Koop sug- gests "consumerism" is somehow inappropriate to the health field. Consumer participation in health policy-making at the'communim or national level and in health care at the individual level is essential to cost-effective medical care. We doubt if this country can affort a Surgeon General who thinks L otherwise. o Second, the availabilityof birth control information ,and support for famLly planning services`is a vital public health need.' The epi!demic of teenage pregnancies, much discussed in the 'late-1970's, has not abated. Dr. Ko~p's public statements suggest that he opposes some forrim of bi'fth control such as the IUD and certain birth control pills, does not believe that unwanted pregnancies are a major public health problem, and rfdiculesthose who have attempted to deal with the issue. As stated in the Report of the Surgeon General, Healthy People, teenage pregnancy is a high risk experience for mothers and children, yet one-fourth of American teenage girls had at least one pregnancy by age 19. Every year about one million adolescents Rridwell Page three under age 19 become pregnant, including 300,000 under 15. At least three of every ten elect to terminate their pregnancies. Healthy People goes on to state that from a public health perspective, "All pregnancies should be wanted. Any child whose birth is planned is far mre likely-to get off to a healthy start in life and to receive the continuingparental love and'support needed for health development." The Report urges that not only should family planning--services be available, but that sex education should be provided at an early age. As the Report states, parents theoretically should be the`most important source of,information, but they frequently are not. Parental abdication leaves.government the choice of ignoring the problem w and paying the cost or-'responding;\the problem and minimizing the cost. We would concur with the Report recommendationthat "A major focus of prevention-efforts must be on providing contraceptive',information and services to all-sexually active teenagers in a manner that is accessible, convenient,,dnexpensive, and perhaps most importantly, is effective in communicating with them." We are troubled by Dr. Koop's apparent,lack of`understanding of this issue. In a commencement address to the Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine in June 1979, Dr. Koop suggests that somehow a single family planning organization, Planned Parenthood, has converted what he refers to as "adolescent innocence" into "sexually'active teenagers". In the'sanm speech.;he appears to refer to the Rockefeller Foundation, a U.S. philanthropy which has made substantial contributions to contraceptive research, `as the "Rockhead Foundation." We do not find these views consistent with*a balanced government policy which recognizes the reality of teenage sexuality, teenage pregnancy, and the costs to government and society of ignoring the issue. o Third, prenatal detection of hereditary disease and congenital defects is a relatively recent technology -for physicians and their patients that offers new options Bridwell Page four for families that suffer from increased risk for such conditions. The government should continue its support'for research on antenatal diagnosis techniques and provision- of genetic screening services to the 'poor.:4 Unfortunately, Dr. Koop opposes genetic screening and,has referred to axmiocentesis,one ofthe screening procedures, as a "gearch and destroy" mission. (The Philadelphia Bulletin,'February.14, 1981) Each year, 100,000 to 150,000 infants are born in the Dnited States with significant congenital malformation or clearly defined' genetic disorder. These births, . ._ WGh Constitute. from three to five percent of the .three million annual live births in this country, account for'at least one-fifth'of all infant deaths in the United Sti+es. In addition to death, chronically disabling -conditions and mental retarda- tion result from these disorders. The human cost to families with the birth of ,a r'* 'P i. &h a child are enormom. While some familieswill-survive this special situation, others may not. Some couples, facing inherited disorders; would forego parenthood completely except that antenatal diagnostie,procedures, ie. genetic screening, makes pregnancy an acceptable risk. Dr. Koop's opposition'to amniotintesis .lea,ds us to conclude that as Surgeon General he would oppose .continued federal support for genetic screening service programs, continued research on antenatal diagnostic methods,and4.nformation dissemination activities -such as the'.Antenatal Diagnosis Conference sponsored by the National Institute for-Child'Health'and Human Development in 1979 or the Conference onMaternal Serum Alpha-Fetoprotein Testing sponsored by the National Center for Health Care .Technology and Food and Drug Administration in 1980. o Fourth, and finally, we must restate our firmly held belief that access to safe, legal abortion is a public,health necessity. History has shown that govennment cannot prevent abortion; government can only outlaw it. And when you outlaw abortion, you condemn some women todeath, 'many others to physica12.trauma, and still others to unwanted parenthood. Bridwell Page five From 1963 to 1968, before there was significant access to safe, legal abortion in the United States, the death rate per 100,000 abortions was .72. In 1975, the death rate had,fallen to 0.8 maternal deaths per 100,000. People who are expert in the field can tell you mre about 'the costs to children and their parents of unwanted pregnancy. But.1 would simply urge that government offieials not become so immersed in philosophical debate that they forget the real world that existed prior to the legalization of abortion.. ~This was a world where young girls died in backroom abortions, women "sweated out their periods", and an illegal abortion industry profited from the misery. We understand that Dr. Koop's position on abortion is similar to that of the President and the Secretary of the Department of-Health and Human Serviees.l The fact that.they agree does not make their'position any more beneficial to women's health. We find it ironic that this Administration which is energetic in speaking out against abortion and does not appear to support family planning is also the Administration which is proposing drastic'cuts in social services and health care for poor young mothers and their families.' We are concerned by this noncongruence. in social and.health policies. Weyhope -that this committee will consider carefully the obligations of the Surgeon General position.and`Dr:Koop's statements. We need a Surgeon General who will augment the public's health.