I'm a Sarasota doctor. I support birthright citizenship. | Opinion

As an obstetrician-gynecologist who has practiced obstetrics for decades, I have had the privilege and honor of caring for thousands of mothers and welcoming thousands of babies into the world – and many of them right here in Sarasota.

Many of these babies were born to women who were not U.S. citizens.

Some of these women came to this country as documented – and some did not.

Yet they all came to this country – whether on foot or by car, truck, plane, boat, bus and every other means imaginable – to seek safety, opportunity and better futures for their children.

In delivery rooms here in Sarasota and across America, I have witnessed hope in its purest form.

Birthright citizenship safeguards dignity

For many Black and Brown immigrant families – whose histories include war, enslavement, colonization, exclusion and persistent inequities in health care – birthright citizenship has never been an abstract theory.

It has been a vital safeguard of dignity.

It has provided a sense of belonging and protection for their children, both born and unborn.

This is why I and many other obstetricians in Sarasota are applauding the recent decision of the U.S. Supreme Court to uphold birthright citizenship.

In reaffirming this constitutional principle, the Supreme Court did more than interpret the law.

It honored the moral foundation of our nation and a promise that was made long ago.

It's not a loophole

For more than 150 years, birthright citizenship has been a part of U.S. law.

It is not a loophole.

It is a promise enshrined in the 14th Amendment.

It is a promise designed to ensure that no child's worth is diminished by the circumstances of their birth.

It is a promise that reflects a core American value: that equality and equity begin at birth.

As a physician, and especially as an obstetrician, my duty has always been to care for both the mother and the child.

My duty has always been to advocate for safe motherhood – and to advocate for it without judgment, without politics and without regard to immigration status.

Most of the time I didn't even know a patient's status while in the process of delivering their baby.

And during such moments, any and all labels disappear.

What remains is a newborn who is innocent and full of potential.

And a mother who is thankful for a safe delivery – and for the prospect of a better life for her child.

A child who, at birth, became a citizen of the United States of America.

America is what it is today because generations of families came here with little more than faith, determination and whatever they could carry as possessions.

That is exactly how many of our scientists, soldiers, teachers, physicians, nurses, workers and community leaders began their American stories.

When the Supreme Court upheld birthright citizenship and affirmed the 14th Amendment, I felt relief.

But I did not feel relief as a partisan.

I felt relief as someone who has dedicated much of his life to protecting mothers and babies.

Medicine teaches us a simple truth: how a society treats its mothers and newborns reveals what kind of society we truly have.

In striking down a previous executive order by President Donald Trump and moving to uphold birthright citizenship, the Supreme Court reaffirmed the Constitution.

But it also reaffirmed the enduring truth that America's strength has always come from inclusion – and not from exclusion.

It has come from presenting opportunity – and not from erecting barriers.

It has come from building hope for the next generation – and not from promoting despair among it.

This time the Supreme Court got it right.

Washington Hill is a longtime Sarasota obstetrician–gynecologist and high-risk pregnancy physician. He is the founder of the Sarasota Memorial Hospital high-risk pregnancy program and a co-founder of the Gulf Coast Medical Society. He is a member of the Herald-Tribune Citizen Advisory Committee; and a board member of the Healthy Start Coalition of Sarasota County.

This article originally appeared on Sarasota Herald-Tribune: I'm a Sarasota doctor. I support birthright citizenship. | Opinion

Reporting by Washington Hill Guest columnist, Sarasota Herald-Tribune / Sarasota Herald-Tribune

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This story was originally published July 9, 2026 at 11:00 AM.