We caught up with Hern ahead of his St. Julien appearance to have a blunt — but sobering — conversation about the state of reproductive rights in the U.S.
Q: At your upcoming event, you’ll be speaking to an audience that includes both longtime supporters and people who may be new to the conversation about reproductive rights. What do you hope attendees will take away from your talk, especially given the current political climate surrounding abortion access?
A: I want people to understand that pregnancy is not a benign condition — women can die from being pregnant. They need medical care, and the treatment of choice for pregnancy is abortion, unless a woman wants to have a baby. Additionally, the Republican Party has exploited the abortion issue and Christians, for the last 50 years, to gain control of the federal judiciary with the goal of overturning Roe v. Wade. But their objectives are far more sinister — they aim to destroy democracy in this country, and that’s what (Donald) Trump and the current Republican Party are pushing for.
Q: Many consider you an advocate for women’s reproductive rights. How do you view your role in this movement, and how has your work as a physician shaped your approach to advocacy, despite ongoing threats of violence?
A: I was the founding medical director of the first private nonprofit abortion clinic in Colorado, which opened in Boulder in November 1973. That was the first clinic in Colorado. I left at the end of the next year and opened my private practice on Jan. 22, 1975, the Boulder Abortion Clinic. I’m still the director of the Boulder Abortion Clinic — that’s my private medical practice. I basically don’t see myself as an advocate. I see myself as a physician. I’m just trying to practice medicine and help women, even though some people have used violence to stop us from doing that. But I’ve continued my practice.
Q: Despite ongoing political threats, how do you maintain hope and resilience, both personally and for your clinic?
A: We have to be involved politically because Republicans are trying to take away healthcare for women — and they’ve succeeded in doing so in 20 states. Abortion is now illegal in those states under Republican control, and their goal is to eliminate reproductive healthcare entirely. We’re talking about taking society back to the fourth century.
I don’t think people fully understand that, but that’s where we’re headed. Right now, the only way to stop this is to vote Democratic and keep Republicans out of office. Otherwise, if they stay in power, there’s simply no hope — period.
Tickets to the event are $11.49 and can be purchased at boulderbookstore.net. Books will be available at the event for 10% off the hardcover price of $24.99.
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Publish date : 2024-10-15 12:24:00
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