Jaimie Troyal Shores, M.D.
![]() https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/profiles/results/directory/profile/4337314/jaimie-shores If treatment for scabies discount levaquin on line, however medicine 8 iron stylings discount levaquin 250mg fast delivery, the concavity of the sole is lost because of sagging ligaments or tendons medicine grace potter lyrics generic levaquin 750mg on line, the arch sinks and much more of the sole of the foot is in contact with the ground: this is called flat foot treatment 12th rib syndrome cheap 250mg levaquin with visa. Because the arches of the foot are important in distributing the weight of the body evenly whilst upright, whether stationary or moving, the flat foot loses the springiness of normal foot structure and leads to sore feet when standing, walking or running for long periods. As there are movable joints between all the bones of the foot, very strong muscles and ligaments are necessary to maintain the strength, resilience and stability of the foot during walking, running and jumping. Posterior tibialis muscle this is the most important muscular support of the longitudinal arch. It lies on the posterior aspect of the lower leg, originates from the middle third of the tibia and fibula and its tendon passes behind the medial malleolus to be inserted into the navicular, cuneiform, cuboid and metatarsal bones. Short muscles of the foot this group of muscles is mainly concerned with the maintenance of the longitudinal and transverse arches. Plantar ligaments and interosseous membranes these structures support the lateral and transverse arches. Joints Learning outcomes After studying this section you should be able to: state the characteristics of fibrous and cartilaginous joints list the different types of synovial joint outline the movements possible at five types of synovial joint describe the structure and functions of a typical synovial joint. Joints allow flexibility and movement of the skeleton and allow attachment between bones. Fibrous joints the bones forming these joints are linked with tough, fibrous material. For example, the joints between the skull bones, the sutures, are completely immovable. The tibia and fibula in the leg are held together along their shafts by a sheet of fibrous tissue called the interosseous membrane. This is a fibrous joint that allows a limited amount of movement and stabilises the alignment of the bones. Cartilaginous joints these joints are formed by a pad of fibrocartilage, a tough material that acts as a shock absorber. The joint may be immovable, as in the cartilaginous epiphyseal plates, which in the growing child link the diaphysis of a long bone to the epiphysis (p. In other joints, a limited degree of movement may take place, as between the vertebrae, which are separated by the intervertebral discs. Synovial joints Synovial joints are characterised by the presence of a space or capsule between the articulating bones. The ends of the bones are held close together by a sleeve of fibrous tissue, and the capsule is lubricated with a small amount of fluid. Characteristics of a synovial joint All synovial joints have certain characteristics in common. Articular or hyaline cartilage the parts of the bones which are in contact are always covered with hyaline cartilage (see. This provides a smooth articular surface, reduces friction and is strong enough to absorb compression forces and bear the weight of the body. The cartilage lining, which is up to 7 mm thick in young people, becomes thinner and less compressible with age. Capsule or capsular ligament the joint is surrounded and enclosed by a sleeve of fibrous tissue which holds the bones together. It is sufficiently loose to allow freedom of movement but strong enough to protect it from injury. Synovial membrane this epithelial layer lines the capsule and covers all non-weight-bearing surfaces inside the joint. Synovial fluid this is a thick sticky fluid, of egg-white consistency, which fills the synovial cavity. It: nourishes the structures within the joint cavity contains phagocytes, which remove microbes and cellular debris acts as a lubricant maintains joint stability prevents the ends of the bones from being separated, as does a little water between two glass surfaces. They act as cushions to prevent friction between a bone and a ligament or tendon, or skin where a bone in a joint is near the surface. Other intracapsular structures Some joints have structures within the capsule, which assist in maintenance of stability. Extracapsular structures Ligaments that blend with the capsule provide additional stability at most joints. Muscles or their tendons also provide stability and stretch across the joints they move. Nerve and blood supply Nerves and blood vessels crossing a joint usually supply the capsule and the muscles that move it. Movements at synovial joints Movement at any given joint depends on various factors, such as the tightness of the ligaments holding the joint together, how well the bones fit and the presence or absence of intracapsular structures. Types of synovial joint Synovial joints are classified according to the range of movement possible (Table 16. Ball and socket joints the head of one bone is ball-shaped and articulates with a cup-shaped socket of another. The joint allows for a wide range of movement, including flexion, extension, adduction, abduction, rotation and circumduction. Hinge joints the articulating ends of the bones form an arrangement like a hinge on a door, and movement is therefore restricted to flexion and extension. The elbow joint is one example, permitting only flexion and extension of the forearm. Other hinge joints include the knee, ankle and the joints between the phalanges of the fingers and toes (interphalangeal joints). Gliding joints the articular surfaces are flat or very slightly curved and glide over one another, but the amount of movement possible is very restricted; this group of joints is the least movable of all the synovial joints. Examples include the joints between the carpal bones in the wrist, the tarsal bones in the foot, and between the processes of the spinal vertebrae (note that the joints between the vertebral bodies are the cartilaginous discs. One bone fits into a hoop-shaped ligament that holds it close to another bone and allows it to rotate in the ring thus formed. For example, the head rotates on the pivot joint formed by the dens of the axis held within the ring formed by the transverse ligament and the odontoid process of the atlas. Condyloid joints A condyle is a smooth, rounded projection on a bone and in a condyloid joint it sits within a cup shaped depression on the other bone. Examples include the joint between the condylar process of the mandible and the temporal bone, and the joints between the metacarpal and phalangeal bones of the hand, and between the metatarsal and phalangeal bones of the foot. The most important saddle joint is at the base of the thumb, between the trapezium of the wrist and the first metacarpal bone. The range of movement is similar to that at a condyloid joint but with additional flexibility; opposition of the thumb, the ability to touch each of the fingertips on the same hand, is due to the nature of the thumb joint. Main synovial joints of the limbs Individual synovial joints have the characteristics described above, so only their distinctive features are included in this section. It is formed by the glenoid cavity of the scapula and the head of the humerus, and is well padded with protective bursae. The capsular ligament is very loose inferiorly to allow for the free movement normally possible at this joint. The glenoid cavity is deepened by a rim of fibrocartilage, the glenoidal labrum, which provides additional stability without limiting movement. The tendon of the long head of the biceps muscle is held in the intertubercular (bicipital) groove of the humerus by the transverse humeral ligament. It extends through the joint cavity and attaches to the upper rim of the glenoid cavity. Synovial membrane forms a sleeve round the part of the tendon of the long head of the biceps muscles within the capsular ligament and covers the glenoidal labrum. The joint is stabilised partly by a number of ligaments (the glenohumoral, coracohumeral and transverse humeral) but mainly by the muscles (and their tendons) present in the shoulder. Certain of these muscles collectively are called the rotator cuff, and rotator cuff injury is a common cause of shoulder pain (p. The stability of the joint may be reduced if these structures, together with the tendon of the biceps muscle, are stretched by repeated dislocations of the joint. It is an extremely stable joint because the humeral and ulnar surfaces interlock, and the capsule is very strong. Extracapsular structures consist of anterior, posterior, medial and lateral strengthening ligaments, which contribute to joint stability. The biceps is the main flexor of the forearm, aided by the brachialis; the triceps extends it (p. People rich and poor face a pluralistic market with a wide and chaotic array of services of wildly varying quality that in virtually all cases require outlays of cash to access symptoms of ebola buy levaquin line, even in the public sector where fee-exemption schemes are in place treatment of scabies levaquin 500 mg without a prescription. The overall weakening of the state has left it unable to perform the regulatory and governance functions on which a market-based system depends (in many cases it was not strong enough to perform these functions well in the first place) medications you can give your cat discount levaquin 250mg. The feeling of being excluded from health facilities and curative systems is the feeling of many poor people and women all over medications with acetaminophen effective 750 mg levaquin. Yes, some manage health care in dire circumstances but at a terrible cost to themselves. In India health care costs are the second largest cause of rural indebtedness and medicine costs account for 50 to 80 percent of health care costs. Existence of very large number of buyers and sellers, each consuming and producing a small fraction of P atents,T rade 253 the goods in the market. The producers and consumers are such a small fraction of the market that whether they buy or sell, it has no influence over supply and demand. There can be no substantial barriers (obstacles) to entry into, or exit from, the market. The overwhelming presence of a handful of pharmaceutical transnationals negate both condition (1) and (2). But the history of patent protection suggests that that is not the only means by which the rich nations have raised the drawbridge after entering the castle. When it suits them to impose protectionism, they argue that this is the only path to development. In economic literature, market failure is said to occur when inter alia (comments in italics ours): 1) Adequate competition does not exist. In this case, production of me-too drugs, 20-year long patents and data exclusivity provisions restricting entry of other 21 players and use of unethical marketing techniques. But as the old fox Adam Smith observed, "People of the same trade seldom meet together even for merriment and diversion, but the conversation ends in a conspiracy against the public or some contrivance to raise prices. This would have severe repercussions for the more than 200,000 Central Americans currently suffering from. As the keepers of traditional knowledge, women often benefit from the sale of traditional handicrafts and use traditional medicines to safeguard the health of their families and communities. In Central America, women plant, transplant, and maintain trees, collect fruits, oils, and medicines from trees to use in the home or sell in local markets, and maintain subsistence farms and traditional agroforestry 28 systems. With profit and patents being the goals for pharma firms, companies tend to make what is profitable at the prices they perceive the market can take. Western pharma companies would cater to the kind of disease profiles and drugs that bring money in the developed countries. It has been shown that many a drug, which enjoys "block buster" status, is the result of initial development/discovery in a publicly funded research center or 30 university. So there is something akin to claiming too much of property rights than justified. When these so called intellectual property rights conflict with health of nations, the tragedy and the absurdity are even starker. Innovation and creativity flow from free creation of the human mind, and not in an atmosphere when one has to look over the shoulder all the time as to what property right or patent right one is violating. And that is why we have been able to make such rapid progress in the twentieth century. At what point knowledge and technology derived from common property and common heritage of humankind becomes private intellectual property is indeed puzzling. Indeed Newton meant what he said, he was not being modest: "If I have seen further it is by standing on the shoulders of giants. One such measure would require generic drug companies to conduct their own clinic tests of the safety and efficacy of new drugs - something that is time-consuming, costly and unethical. In 2004, Thailand had a per capita income of $2,540, compared to $41,400 for the United States. With a per capita income that is 94 percent lower than the United States, it is not surprising that efforts to raise prices for medicine are not popular in Thailand. Better yet, do something to stop our government from doing something that will cause so much lasting harm to the Thai people, and to our honor. The move gave multilateral legitimacy to the use of trade sanctions to replace unilateral means of collecting royalties from developing countries, embodied in the tariff-retaliation provisions of the "special 301" legislation in the 1988 Omnibus Trade and Competitiveness Act. But finally, just prior to Cancun, the firms capitulated in the face of public opprobrium and handouts or threats from the Bush administration and agreed to accept a reduction of restrictions on the production and use of generic drugs. And intellectual property largely remains off the agenda in Hong Kong, although some key details of a revised agreement (including protection for geographic brand names such as Burgundy wine, Parma ham, Roquefort cheese, and Darjeeling tea) remain to be worked out in a low-key fashion. In fact even before that was the Patents Act of 1911 under the British Raj that provided for product patents for a period of 14 years. The 1911 Act itself was the result of several modifications starting from an 1856 Patents Act, modified subsequently in 1859, 1872, 1883 and 1888. Even the Kefauver Committee of the American Senate had observed that the prices of antibiotics and other medicines were the highest in India. When we say a drug is/was expensive, we mean it is/was expensive for the middle class too. Even today many a drug, given poor price control, is expensive for a lower middle class person, not to speak of the wage labourer. And given irrational and unscientific prescription practices, corporatisation of health care and poor public health services in India, it often becomes expensive for the middle class too. But that is indicative of the even larger crisis in access to health services in India and deserves a separate discussion. The Government in the meanwhile had realized that the 1911 Act really did not help the country and two high powered committees were appointed to examine the issue: the Bakshi Tek Chand Patent Enquiry Committee 1948-50 and the Justice Ayyangar Patents Revision Committee (1957-59). The 1970 Patents Act was path-breaking both as a model patents act for developing countries and in the revolution it helped unleash in the pharma sector in India. In fact it specified only processes to be patented for "substances intended for use, or capable of being used, as food or as medicine or drug. Inventions not Patentable as per 1970 Patents Act (beforeA pril2005am endm ents) 3. What are not inventions the following are not inventions within the meaning of this Act, a. Inventions relating to atomic energy not patentable No patent shall be granted in respect of an invention relating to atomic energy falling within sub-section (1) of Section 20 of the Atomic Energy Act, 1962. Inventions where only methods or processes of manufacture patentable (1) In the case of inventions a. Patent A time-limited, territorially-based right to exclude others from making, using, offering for sale, selling or importing an invented product or from using an inventive process for 20 years after the patent is granted by a nation state (resulting in about 1015 years of market exclusivity). Drug Registration Process by which drug regulatory authorities assess and confirm the safety, quality and efficacy of medicines in order to approve their use in the country. Innovator products, based on new chemical entities, require more complex assessment than their generic equivalents. Assessment of generic drugs tends to take place at national level, where there is a comparable innovator product already in the market. However, access to , and the evaluation of, bioequivalence data can present a particular challenge for under-resourced national agencies. Para 6 Decision August 30 2003 Permits non-producing countries to issue a compulsory licence to import medicines pursuant to a special compulsory licence for export issued in the exporting country. Requires negotiation with patent holder for voluntary licence first (unless for government use etc as below), applies to a specific drug in needed quantities only, and product differentiation to reduce diversion. Issuance ordinarily requires prior negotiation with the patent holder for a voluntary licence, and payment of a royalty. An ordinary compulsory licence must be primarily for domestic use (over 51%), but could enable export of 49% to a nonproducer, without invoking Para 6 Decision (if an Article 31 ordinary compulsory licence is in place in the importing country). Licences issued to permit governmental, non-commercial use, or in order to address extreme urgencies or remedy anti-competitive practices, do not require prior negotiation. Regulation could favour export and regional production, non-exclusivity, technology transfer requirements, access to confidential test data access, and disclosure of reasonable royalty rates. Purchase levaquin amex. Community-acquired Pneumonia (CAP): Treatment and Prevention. The lower motor neurone this has its cell body in the anterior horn of grey matter in the spinal cord medications you cant drink alcohol with generic levaquin 500mg visa. Its axon emerges from the spinal cord by the anterior root 86 treatment ideas practical strategies purchase generic levaquin on-line, joins with the incoming sensory fibres and forms the mixed spinal nerve that passes through the intervertebral foramen treatment 2 prostate cancer buy levaquin 750 mg low cost. Near its termination in skeletal muscle the axon branches into many tiny fibres symptoms toxic shock syndrome buy levaquin online pills, each of which is in close association with a sensitive area on the wall of a muscle fibre known as a motor end plate. The motor end plates of each nerve and the muscle fibres they supply form a motor unit (see. The neurotransmitter that transmits the nerve impulse across the neuromuscular junction (synapse) to stimulate the muscle fibre is acetylcholine. Motor units contract as a whole and the strength of the muscle contraction depends on the number of motor units in action at any time. The lower motor neurone is the final common pathway for the transmission of nerve impulses to skeletal muscles. The cell body of this neurone is influenced by a number of upper motor neurones originating from various sites in the brain and by some neurones which begin and end in the spinal cord. Some of these neurones stimulate the cell bodies of the lower motor neurone while others have an inhibiting effect. The outcome of these influences is smooth, coordinated muscle movement, some of which is voluntary and some involuntary. Involuntary muscle movement Upper motor neurones these have their cell bodies in the brain at a level below the cerebrum, i. They influence muscle activity that maintains posture and balance, coordinates skeletal muscle movement and controls muscle tone. A reflex action is an involuntary and immediate motor response to a sensory stimulus. Many connector and motor neurones may be stimulated by afferent impulses from a small area of skin. These stimulate many connector and lower motor neurones in the spinal cord, which results in the contraction of many skeletal muscles of the hand, arm and shoulder, and the removal of the finger. Reflex action happens very quickly, in fact, the motor response may occur simultaneously with the perception of the pain in the cerebrum. Reflexes of this type are invariably protective but they can occasionally be inhibited. For example, if it is a precious plate that is very hot when lifted every effort will be made to overcome the pain to prevent dropping it! The cell body of the lower motor neurone is stimulated directly by the sensory neurone, with no connector neurone in between. The knee jerk is one example, but this type of reflex can be demonstrated at any point where a stretched tendon crosses a joint. By tapping the tendon just below the knee when it is bent, the sensory nerve endings in the tendon and in the thigh muscles are stretched. This initiates a nerve impulse that passes into the spinal cord to the cell body of the lower motor neurone in the anterior column of grey matter on the same side. Autonomic reflexes these include the pupillary light reflex when the pupil immediately constricts, in response to bright light, preventing retinal damage. Peripheral nervous system Learning outcomes After studying this section you should be able to: outline the function of a nerve plexus list the spinal nerves entering each plexus and the main nerves emerging from it describe the areas innervated by the thoracic nerves outline the functions of the 12 cranial nerves compare and contrast the structures and neurotransmitters of the divisions of the autonomic nervous system compare and contrast the effects of stimulation of the divisions of the autonomic nervous system on body function. This part of the nervous system consists of: 31 pairs of spinal nerves 12 pairs of cranial nerves the autonomic nervous system. Most of the nerves of the peripheral nervous system are composed of sensory nerve fibres transmitting afferent impulses from sensory organs to the brain, and motor nerve fibres transmitting efferent impulses from the brain to the effector organs. Spinal nerves There are 31 pairs of spinal nerves that leave the vertebral canal by passing through the intervertebral foramina formed by adjacent vertebrae. They are named and grouped according to the vertebrae with which they are associated (see. Although there are only seven cervical vertebrae, there are eight nerves because the first pair leaves the vertebral canal between the occipital bone and the atlas and the eighth pair leaves below the last cervical vertebra. Thereafter the nerves are given the name and number of the vertebra immediately above. These nerves leave the vertebral canal at the appropriate lumbar, sacral or coccygeal level, depending on their destination. Each nerve is formed by the union of a motor (anterior) and a sensory (posterior) nerve root and is, therefore, a mixed nerve. Thoracic and upper lumbar (L1 and L2) spinal nerves have a contribution from the sympathetic part of the autonomic nervous system in the form of a preganglionic fibre. The anterior nerve root consists of motor nerve fibres, which are the axons of the lower motor neurones from the anterior column of grey matter in the spinal cord and, in the thoracic and lumbar regions, sympathetic nerve fibres, which are the axons of cells in the lateral columns of grey matter. Just outside the spinal cord there is a spinal ganglion (posterior, or dorsal, root ganglion), consisting of a little cluster of cell bodies. The area of skin whose sensory receptors contribute to each nerve is called a dermatome (see Figs 7. For a very short distance after leaving the spinal cord the nerve roots have a covering of dura and arachnoid maters. Branches Immediately after emerging from the intervertebral foramen, spinal nerves divide into branches, or rami: a ramus communicans, a posterior ramus and an anterior ramus. The rami communicante are part of preganglionic sympathetic neurones of the autonomic nervous system. The posterior rami pass backwards and divide into smaller medial and lateral branches to supply skin and muscles of relatively small areas of the posterior aspect of the head, neck and trunk. The anterior rami supply the anterior and lateral aspects of the neck, trunk and the upper and lower limbs. Plexuses In the cervical, lumbar and sacral regions the anterior rami unite near their origins to form large masses of nerves, or plexuses, where nerve fibres are regrouped and rearranged before proceeding to supply skin, bones, muscles and joints of a particular area. This means that these structures have a nerve supply from more than one spinal nerve and therefore damage to one spinal nerve does not cause loss of function of a region. There are five large plexuses of mixed nerves formed on each side of the vertebral column. They are the: cervical plexuses brachial plexuses lumbar plexuses sacral plexuses coccygeal plexuses. It lies deep within the neck opposite the 1st, 2nd, 3rd and 4th cervical vertebrae under the protection of the sternocleidomastoid muscle. The superficial branches supply the structures at the back and side of the head and the skin of the front of the neck to the level of the sternum. The phrenic nerve originates from cervical roots 3, 4 and 5 and passes downwards through the thoracic cavity in front of the root of the lung to supply the diaphragm, initiating inspiration. Disease or spinal cord injury at this level will result in death due to apnoea without assisted ventilation. Brachial plexus the anterior rami of the lower four cervical nerves and a large part of the 1st thoracic nerve form the brachial plexus. The plexus is situated deeply within the neck and shoulder above and behind the subclavian vessels and in the axilla. The branches of the brachial plexus supply the skin and muscles of the upper limbs and some of the chest muscles. Five large nerves and a number of smaller ones emerge from this plexus, each with a contribution from more than one nerve root, containing sensory, motor and autonomic fibres: axillary (circumflex) nerve: C5, 6 radial nerve: C5, 6, 7, 8, T1 musculocutaneous nerve: C5, 6, 7 median nerve: C5, 6, 7, 8, T1 ulnar nerve: C7, 8, T1 medial cutaneous nerve: C8, T1. The axillary (circumflex) nerve winds round the humerus at the level of the surgical neck. It then breaks up into minute branches to supply the deltoid muscle, shoulder joint and overlying skin. It supplies the triceps muscle behind the humerus, crosses in front of the elbow joint then winds round to the back of the forearm to supply extensors of the wrist and finger joints. The protection of rights enshrined in the Constitutions of the United States and the State of New York has been entrusted to the courts precisely so that their erosion by legislatures may be prevented symptoms stroke order line levaquin. Constitutional protection of fundamental rights is not doled out to some human beings and selectively withheld from others symptoms 4dpiui discount levaquin 500mg free shipping. To say that an individual is a living human being in fact medicine identifier order levaquin in india, but not a person entitled to constitutional protection of treatment effect definition cheap generic levaquin canada, for instance, so basic a right as the right to live, is to make a sham of the Constitu tion. The very rationale which requires that women be persons under the Fourteenth Amendment, requires also that unborn children be persons within the Due Process and Equal Protection Clauses. Defning person by reference to criteria other then biological realities inficts upon the Fourteenth Amendment the very subjective prejudices which the framers sought to overcome. It is for this reason that the Due Process and Equal Protection Clauses know no standard for determining who is a person and thus entitled to protection, other than the biological standard that reveals the existence of life, humanness and being, as confrmed, by a practical medical test. The police power of the state includes the power to legislate for the health and safety of its inhabitants. But in this case, the inhabitants include both preg nant women and their unborn children. The Amended Abortion Act promotes the death of unborn children, not their safety or health. Further, respondents must concede that the police power in respect of eradicating crime is not unlimited. Aaron (1958), a local school board asked to be relieved of the with all-deliberate-speed integration order of Brown v. De sirable as this is, and important as is the preservation of the public peace, this aim cannot be accomplished by laws or ordinances which deny rights created or protected by the Federal Constitution. Similar conclusions have been reached with respect to segregation of public facilities, and public housing. If the preven tion of crime is not such a compelling state interest as will justify a legislative clas sifcation which invades the right to be free of segregation, neither can it justify a legislative classifcation which invades the right to live. In turn the prevalence of violence against unwanted persons is no justifcation for invading their rights whether they be Blacks or babies. The compelling answer to this contention is that constitutional rights may not be denied simply because of hostility to their assertion or exercise. And as for family fnances if the state is seeking to ameliorate poverty, it must do so by less drastic means than legalizing the killing of the children of the poor. The privacy of the family and of the home are no more compelling than personal privacy as a justifcation for the legalized killing of unborn children. Connecticut (1965) held only that the state had failed to show the nec essary compelling interest to support an invasion of family privacy consisting of a prohibition on the use of contraceptives in the conjugal relationship. Griswold cannot be stretched to create a discretionary family right to kill unborn children. The right and obligation of the state and its courts of equity, as parens patriae, to interfere in family practices, which endanger the child both before and afer birth, are too well settled and to indispensable to be questioned now. Oklahoma (1942), may have recognized fundamental rights to marry and procreate, they most certainly do not recognize any right, fundamental or otherwise, to abort the procreated children of the marriage. The same week, about 600 anti-abortion protestors demonstrated at the state capitol, and, in an action ironically reminiscent of the Redstockings, a group of women stormed onto the foor of the New York Assembly demanding that legislators Stop abortion! In addition to the Roman Catholic Church, there were over 50 right-to-life groups, comprising a claimed 200,000 people, making phone calls, writing letters, and threatening primary fghts if legislators did not vote to revoke the repeal. The letter represented an early gambit in a new campaign waged by the Republican Party to woo Catholic voters away fom the Democratic Party. Though this is a matter for state decision outside federal jurisdic tion, I would personally like to associate myself with the convictions you deeply feel and eloquently express. The unrestricted abortion policies now recommended by some Americans, and the liberalized abortion policies in efect in some sections of this country seem to me impossible to reconcile with either our religious traditions or our Western heritage. Surely, in the on-going national debate about the particulars of the quality of life, the preservation of life should be moved to the top of the agenda. Your decision, and that of tens of thousands of Catholics, Protestants, Jews, and men and women of no particular faith, to act in the public forum as defenders of the right to life of the unborn, is truly a noble endeavor. In a message accompanying his veto, Governor Rockefeller did not expressly invoke the Constitution. The same strong reasons that led me to recommend abortion law reform in my Annual Messages to your Honorable Bodies for 1968, 1969 and 1970 and to sign into law the reform that was ultimately adopted in 1970, now compel me to disap prove the bill just passed that would repeal that reform. The abortion law reform of 1970 grew out of the recommendations of an out standing select citizens committee, representative of all afected parties, that I appointed in 1968. Froessel, the select committee found that the then existing, 19th-century, near total prohibition against abortion was fostering hundreds of thousands of illegal and dangerous abortions. It was discriminating against women of modest means who could not aford an abortion haven and the ofen frightened, unwed, con fused young woman. I can see no justifca tion now for repealing this reform and thus condemning hundreds of thousands of women to the dark age once again. There is, further, the recent Federal court decision invalidating the Connecti cut abortion law, which is substantially the same as the pre-reform New York law. The law of that case, if upheld, would clearly invalidate the old New York law, as well, were the repeal of abortion reform allowed to stand. In such a circumstance, this state would be lef with no law on the subject at all. I fully respect the moral convictions of both sides in this painfully sensi tive controversy. But the extremes of personal vilifcation and political coercion brought to bear on members of the Legislature raise serious doubts that the vote to repeal the reform represented the will of a majority of the people of New York State. |