Doctor Poll Doesn't Represent all Doctors

I know that sometimes the "educated" end up the farthest from truth, but I still found it hard to buy the oft-mentioned poll about doctors who support abortion.

Now this letter today from the RC Journal:

Biased statistic

Dr. Marvin Buehner is misleading the public in his Oct. 7 letter, stating that, "A poll of South Dakota physicians revealed that 70 percent of physician respondents were opposed to HB1215." Stating this biased statistic to influence public opinion is misleading and wrong.

This biased statistic represented only "respondent" physicians who knew about and chose to respond to the poll. Furthermore, the number of physicians who did respond to the poll represented only a minority subset of total South Dakota physicians. Many South Dakota physicians I have spoken with knew nothing about this poll.

In my experience, a significant number of South Dakota physicians are unwilling, for personal as well as professional reasons, to go on the record publicly or to respond to polls on HB1215. However, I can personally attest that many South Dakota physicians, including many OB-GYN physicians, have told me of their clear support of HB1215.

The public should not be misled by a claim stating that a majority of South Dakota physicians oppose or support HB1215! Without a statistically appropriate study, we may never really know this answer.

South Dakota voters deserve discerning and truthful information about HB1215.

MICHAEL J. STATZ, M.D.
Rapid City