1/ This is an unpopular position but I sincerely believe a necessary one to save lives

For policymakers wrestling with ethics (and science) of restricting birth partners amid #COVIDー19, a pointer written with my colleague @louise_p_king @HMSbioethics https://blog.petrieflom.law.harvard.edu/2020/04/08/new-york-coronavirus-birth-partners/

2/ Among pregnant people and those who love them, the past few weeks have been especially confusing and anxiety-provoking.

As new epicenter of #COVIDー19, NYC hospitals temporarily restricted birth partners, a move that provoked @NYGovCuomo intervention https://twitter.com/neel_shah/status/1244008535022874624?s=20

3/ Hospitals did not come to this decision lightly. It was a wrenching decision to keep patients, hospital staff, and communities safe... under extraordinary circumstances that, as we detail, have turned medical centers into war zones with mass casualties

4/ Allowing hospitals to make difficult decisions when deemed temporarily necessary does not represent a failure to recognize the individual suffering faced by women giving birth without their partner of choice

5/ We are grateful for this sacrifice, as we are grateful to the providers who continue to put their own well-being at risk to provide the best care they can.

With empathy for these sacrifices, and bravery to do what is necessary, we will get through this together

@PetrieFlom