Unless you’ve been in space for the past few years, you are well aware of the divides we are seeing in this country. I have heard the same question over and over again: “Has it ever been this bad?”

I don’t know the answer to that, but I know we are in perilous times. We have reached a division in this country with no end in sight. It would take a concerted effort from all sides to come together, find those things that unite us, and work to overcome this rift, and that doesn’t seem very likely any time soon.

We have seen a somewhat successful effort to return to the states the right to make legal determinations about a variety of issues. There are pros and cons to this approach. Allowing states to make laws allows them to be more responsive to their own unique needs. It also creates a patchwork of laws across the country. For physicians who may have patients who travel, have homes in multiple locations, or otherwise need services that may differ from state to state, it can be difficult to navigate.

Some of these issues are controversial, and we don’t all hold the same opinion; from reproductive rights to medical cannabis to end-of-life options – medical alternatives that are legal in some states and illegal in others. To be fair, not all issues are controversial – some are based on accessibility, infrastructure, etc. But instead of dividing us, we should allow for different viewpoints and support the rights of both physicians and patients to make the choices they feel are best. The patient-physician relationship is the very foundation
of care.

As we have approached our various legislative responsibilities – Congress of Delegates, the UMA House of Delegates, and our work at the Utah State Legislature – one of our guiding principles is protecting the rights of our trusted family physicians.

No physician should be at risk of legal or administrative consequences when treating their patients in a legal and evidence-based way. We do not advocate for physicians to break laws but rather for laws that allow physicians to treat patients to the best of their abilities.

We wrote and passed resolutions at both the UMA House of Delegates and the AAFP Congress of Delegates to ensure that our governing bodies actively support legislation and policy that protects family physicians and their patients, specifically when state laws differ, from negative repercussions when giving information, helping to secure treatment that may not be available where they reside, and when providing care for patients who may come from neighboring states.

We may not all hold the same position on every issue, but our hope is to find common ground. We believe that protecting the rights of physicians to practice without harm is critical to the profession and a position we hope all physicians can support.