– Vote Yes on 1, by Dr. Walter Johnson

Dear Editor: October 26, 2014

I have been in the front lines of medicine practicing in North Dakota for almost 30 years. Much of my medical practice as an internal medicine doctor has been to advise my patients when making end of life decisions. Personally, I have had to help family make those decisions for my own parents and my mother-in-law. The most painful of all was making the decision to allow our premature infant daughter to die a natural death back in 1983. I can tell you if I thought Measure 1 would interfere with any of the beginning or end-of-life decisions I would be the first to oppose it.

Our elected representatives placed Measure 1 on the ballot to protect the common sense laws that we have asked them to pass, Laws such as ensuring that women are given full disclosure of information prior to an abortion, making sure parents are notified if their daughter is seeking an abortion, and prohibiting children who are partially born from being killed by an abortionist before their birth can be completed. This is common sense good health care. Out-of-state interest groups are using state courts to undermine and reverse those laws. Measure 1 stops them and protects our laws.

The opposition ads contain misleading information about beginning and end of life care that are a disservice to patients. Measure 1 will not interfere with these difficult decisions or with the relationships I have with my patients. I am very concerned about the false notions regarding this measure that are frightening patients. This is not about end of life, but is about unlimited unregulated abortion on demand which is not good health care. Vote yes on Measure 1!

Walter S. Johnson, MD

Fargo, ND 58104

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