In her Jan. 13 commentary, second-year medical student Margaret Hayden accused our senator Susan Collins of not being able to stand up to her party, ripping health insurance from millions of people, sacrificing lives, placing Mainers in harm’s way, being a coward and losing her moral compass. Ms. Hayden doesn’t seem to know either Sen. Collins or her position regarding the Affordable Care Act.

Fairly assessed, Sen. Collins is a voice of reason in, and a leader of, her party. With regard to the ACA, she urged her party to slow down and not repeal the ACA until it has a better alternative ready as a replacement (even Ms. Hayden doesn’t deny that the ACA has problems). Thanks to Sen. Collins, the party seems to have backed away from the wrongheaded idea of repeal without replacement.

Although I am a lawyer, I come from a family of doctors. From them, I know that the practice of medicine involves the identification of a problem through differential diagnosis and the selection of the most effective treatment from amongst the alternatives considering the totality of the patient’s circumstances. It is a rational process.

There is still time for Ms. Hayden to learn.

Halsey Frank

Portland