| Description |
On June 24, 2022, the Supreme Court issued the Dobbs decision, which no longer grants abortion to be a constitutionally protected right for patients. This decision caused an overturn of Roe v. Wade, which has had unprecedented consequences for patients and medical providers. The literature reviewed for this policy analysis suggests that the policy change did not account for many aspects of healthcare. There have been several articles published by providers regarding the challenges of navigating care for their patients in restrictive abortion states. Personal stories of patients have emerged regarding how their experiences with the healthcare system have changed when attempting to access reproductive care services. The areas of policy analyzed include an overall background of abortion laws, state and federal concerns, legal concerns of providers, patient effects, and retention and recruitment of obstetric and gynecologic specialties. Studies analyzed show that the Dobbs decision and subsequent restrictive state abortion legislation has increased pregnancy-related mortality and illness due to delayed care for women, including increased travel times for abortion and decreased access to healthcare. There have been several adverse outcomes to healthcare these include a potential decrease in access to contraceptives, under-identification of sexual abuse victims, increase in ethnic disparities,; socioeconomic concerns, and legal implications for infertility treatments in certain states. Future implications include increased involvement of healthcare providers in policy development, comprehensive sexuality education for restrictive states, protected reproductive care for women in their local states, and clear guidelines for healthcare providers assisting women with life-threatening disorders while pregnant. |
