In many parts of this country, the practice of medicine has become politicized. In Texas, the state dictates best practices for the care of transgender children. In Ohio, obstetricians have to wait for their lawyer’s opinion before they can go ahead and save a pregnant woman’s life. In Indiana, any doctor who sees a woman with a broad list of psychological issues could face jail time if they don’t ask about and report previous abortions to the government.
This is all happening on top of the general vilification of the medical profession encouraged by right-wing media personalities and promoted by Republican politicians who should know better. In red states, doctors are now treated like political dissidents in autocratic backwater republics, their years of study and practice deemed less convincing than an outraged video someone saw on YouTube.
So doctors, we have a proposal for you: Come to California! We have a major shortage of medical personnel here, and we will treat you with the dignity you’re not getting in your red state. In California, we trust you to know what’s best for your patients, and in fact, our legislature is working hard to encode that trust into our laws.
In California, you can choose how to practice, whether you want to serve the poor in our state-funded clinics that don’t muzzle you from discussing appropriate treatment, to private practices that serve the wealthiest state in the nation. In California, you can choose the majestic mountains, the plentiful plains, or the crazy coast. You can live in vibrant, big cities or intimate, one-stoplight towns.
Sure, you’ve heard all the negative stories in the press. Grown from a seed of truth, these stories branch into lies that depict California as an unlivable hellhole. But I ask you: if it’s so bad, why do so many of us stay? Why do we put up with high housing costs, complex politics, and all the issues that come with a diverse population?
The answer is: We love it! And you will, too.
Come on over to California so you can practice medicine instead of politics.
In many parts of this country, the practice of medicine has become politicized. In Texas, the state dictates best practices for the care of transgender children. In Ohio, obstetricians have to wait for their lawyer’s opinion before they can go ahead and save a pregnant woman’s life. In Indiana, any doctor who sees a woman with a broad list of psychological issues could face jail time if they don’t ask about and report previous abortions to the government.
This is all happening on top of the general vilification of the medical profession encouraged by right-wing media personalities and promoted by Republican politicians who should know better. In red states, doctors are now treated like political dissidents in autocratic backwater republics, their years of study and practice deemed less convincing than an outraged video someone saw on YouTube.
So doctors, we have a proposal for you: Come to California! We have a major shortage of medical personnel here, and we will treat you with the dignity you’re not getting in your red state. In California, we trust you to know what’s best for your patients, and in fact, our legislature is working hard to encode that trust into our laws.
In California, you can choose how to practice, whether you want to serve the poor in our state-funded clinics that don’t muzzle you from discussing appropriate treatment, to private practices that serve the wealthiest state in the nation. In California, you can choose the majestic mountains, the plentiful plains, or the crazy coast. You can live in vibrant, big cities or intimate, one-stoplight towns.
Sure, you’ve heard all the negative stories in the press. Grown from a seed of truth, these stories branch into lies that depict California as an unlivable hellhole. But I ask you: if it’s so bad, why do so many of us stay? Why do we put up with high housing costs, complex politics, and all the issues that come with a diverse population?
The answer is: We love it! And you will, too.
Come on over to California so you can practice medicine instead of politics.
Photo by Luis Melendez on Unsplash
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