Debra Powell
Eng 111
Professor Brandon
10/04/2012
Rhetorical Analysis
In my article, “Keep politics out of examining room” published in the Richmond Times Dispatch on September 15, 2012, Koziol argues, “Rules and regulations governing medical practice should be based on sound evidence based medicine, not politics.” Virginia Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli is trying to bully the Virginia Board of Health into basing their decision on political ideology. I found Dr. Koziols’ argument persuasive because his argument on is based on his credentials and knowledge in his field.
The attorney general is trying to force regulations that would require these clinics to comply with building standards that are designed for the construction of new hospitals, and are not required by any other healthcare facility in Virginia. Koziol says, “Renovations to meet these rules could run into the millions of dollars and are cost-prohibitive.”
He states that the government focus on women's health clinics has little to do with patient health and safety; how could it, when abortion is one of the safest out patient procedures performed in the United States. According to the Guttmacher Institute, less than 0.3 percent of patients experience complications that require hospitalization; the Board of Medicine already regulates Virginia, and doctors who provide abortions must meet the same medical standards that are applied to other physicians by the Board of Medicine.
Koziol says that “what does affect women’s health is their ability to access comprehensive reproductive care,” and advocates interested in promoting women’s health should focus on increasing access to woman health clinics, not shutting them down. These clinics provide a range of reproductive health care, including life saving cancer screenings, STD testing and family planning services; it is an important resource for low-income woman to be able to access vital preventative care.
Koziol knows that abortion is a controversial issue, but says that the proposed regulations subject to women’s health clinics to onerous rules that is unrelated to patient safety and is required of no other similar practice. He says the purpose is clear: to circumvent the law in order to limit women’s constitutional rights to access safe and legal abortions. As a doctor, Koziol takes a lot of factors into consideration when helping patients make decisions about their health care. The opinions and agendas of politicians and bureaucrats aren’t on his list; they have no place in the doctor’s office and no place formulating these regulations.
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