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Massachusetts Bans ‘Non-Essential’ Procedures Like Colonoscopies, Knee Replacements, Allows Abortions
Daily Caller ^ | Mary Margaret Olohan

Posted on 03/19/2020 4:50:56 PM PDT by Morgana

Massachusetts hospitals may not perform “nonessential” procedures like colonoscopies or knee replacements, but they may continue to perform abortions.

Massachusetts Bureau of Health Care Safety and Quality director Elizabeth Kelley released a memorandum March 15 explaining that all procedures that are “nonessential, elective invasive” procedures will be postponed or canceled while Massachusetts is under a state of emergency, according to MassLive.

“Terminating a pregnancy is not considered a nonessential, elective invasive procedure for the purpose of this guidance,” the memorandum said. “However, the ultimate decision is based on clinical judgment by the caring physician.” (RELATED: ‘Hail Satan’: Students Met With Public Masturbation, Glass Hurled, As They Pray Outside Abortion Clinic)

Today, I have declared a state of emergency in Massachusetts to further support our response to COVID-19. We will continue planning and preparing to mitigate the spread of this disease, and have issued new guidance for Executive Branch employees.

Her clarification came after the public health commissioner ordered doctors to cancel all nonessential procedures March 10.

Nonessential procedures, according to Kelley’s memorandum, include any procedures involving skin incisions, injections into a “joint body space or body cavity,” hip replacement or knee replacement, colonoscopies, bronchoscopies, kidney tube placements, invasive radiology procedures, most dermatology procedures, eye implants, tooth extractions, sound wave treatment to break down kidney stones and endometrial biopsies.

Republican Massachusetts Gov. Charlie Baker said Monday that “we’re all adjusting to these circumstances, but I think it’s important to remember why,” according to MassLive.

“Our public health professionals believe by taking these serious actions now, we can mitigate the spread of coronavirus and help protect our most vulnerable population,” Baker added.

The pro-life Massachusetts Citizens for Life told the Daily Caller News Foundation in a statement that the organization is “disheartened” to learn that abortion will still be permitted.

“Women’s health and safety should be our top priority now, as always,” Massachusetts Citizens for Life said. “Risking exposure to the highly contagious disease during visits to abortion clinics not only puts our women at risk but their families, clinic staff, and their loved ones as well.”

“This is yet another indication that the once-popular abortion-rights mantra ‘safe, legal, and rare’ is a complete farce,” the group added. “In the face of a global pandemic, the abortion industry once again demonstrates that protecting women’s health has never been its priority. Instead, the abortion lobby’s singular goal is to increase the bottom line, even at the expense of risking the health and wellbeing of those who enter their clinics and those who work at them during these unprecedented times.”

Neither Massachusetts Department of Health nor Baker responded to requests for comment from the Daily Caller News Foundation.


TOPICS: Health/Medicine
KEYWORDS: abortion; massachusetts; plannedparenthood; prolife
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To: Vermont Lt
No one that ever had surgery to remove a huge kidney stone would call it non-essential. I would have gleefully killed someone standing between my kidney stone operations and me. And I wouldn’t have thought twice about it.

I can't believe that is on the list. That could only have been added by some slack-jawed bureaucrat that has never experienced one. And I suppose Charlie Faker will then tell the kidney stone patient writhing in agony "no opioids for you" 'cause you might get addicted while waiting months for us to undo our directive.
21 posted on 03/19/2020 6:27:44 PM PDT by LostInBayport (When there are more people riding in the cart than there are pulling it, the cart stops moving...)
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To: Morgana

Getting those children killed is critical. Consider how many of them would infest the society if abortion clinics were required to shut down for a few weeks. We would have thousands more of those nasty children making society miserable.


22 posted on 03/19/2020 6:54:01 PM PDT by arthurus (honor covfefe bound)
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To: arthurus

Well it’s morally repugnant but the huge majority killed are future Democrat voters...


23 posted on 03/19/2020 6:55:02 PM PDT by nascarnation
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To: dp0622
Hey - don't act all selfish.

What's more important - saving a man's life or insuring the death of an innocent baby...........never mind, I think I figured it out.

Stay well up there in Noo Yawk...youse and youse family (probably blew that one big time...:))

24 posted on 03/20/2020 3:29:55 AM PDT by trebb (Don't howl about illegal leeches, or Trump in general, while not donating to FR - it's hypocritical.)
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To: trebb

No that was actually pretty good :)

That’s more of a Brooklyn thing and only certain neighborhoods but you nailed it great! :)

The Russians and Albanians and Mexicans and Asians pouring in aren’t picking up the accent :)


25 posted on 03/20/2020 3:44:51 AM PDT by dp0622 (Radicals, racists my curseoint fingers at me I'm a small town white boy Just tryin to make ends meet)
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To: AdmSmith; AnonymousConservative; Arthur Wildfire! March; Berosus; Bockscar; cardinal4; ColdOne; ...

26 posted on 03/20/2020 7:00:49 AM PDT by SunkenCiv (Imagine an imaginary menagerie manager imagining managing an imaginary menagerie.)
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To: cherry
...a colonoscopy is essential and important and urgent if one has a hx of polyps.....catching cancer early is highly important...

You're right - it's important but everyone's hoping we get over this Wuhan crisis within the next few months and then things can get back to normal. I wouldn't want to have elective surgery in a hospital with large numbers of virus patients...

27 posted on 03/20/2020 8:57:10 AM PDT by GOPJ ( http://www.tinyurl.com/cvirusmap https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OfeZlKu8M7A)
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