Paging Dr. Gupta…
January 16, 2009 3:30:01
Kristine
Web Correspondent
Planned Parenthood Minnesota, North Dakota, South Dakota Action Fund
With Barack Obama’s upcoming inauguration, you may have heard this man’s name being floated around lately: Sanjay Gupta, neurosurgeon and chief health correspondent for CNN, has been offered the position of Surgeon General by the President-Elect. And this nomination is not without its share of controversy. As Surgeon General, Gupta would be expected to relate scientific and medical information to the public. Supporters of Gupta argue that his high profile and access to media communication (in addition to contributing to CNN, Gupta also appears regularly on Anderson Cooper 360 and currently publishes a column in TIME Magazine) make him an ideal candidate.
However, others worry that his ties to pharmaceutical companies might present a conflict of interests. Furthermore, Drs. Lisa Schwartz and Steven Woloshin of the Dartmouth Institute for Health Policy and Clinical Practice criticize Gupta’s media ties, saying that a surgeon general would "need to demonstrate skills that are too often missing in medical news on TV: skepticism about the science and a careful analysis of both the benefits and harms of medical care".
Though there is still little information on Gupta’s stance on reproductive rights and issues, Jodi Jacobson reports for RH Reality, writing that if he accepts the position, “Gupta is expected to have an expanded role in health policy and possibly in health care reform. This may be good for women's health and rights. Gupta has, for example, sharply criticized the regulations published by the Department of Health and Human Services…that allow providers to deny reproductive and sexual health services to women based on a loose definition of ‘conscience’ ’’.
While Gupta appears to be in dialogue with women’s health concerns, in terms of making a significant impact on reproductive rights issues, Gupta’s policy remains yet to be seen.
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