As I’ve reported for Salon this year, the direct and indirect effects of abortion bans and restrictions impact far more than just people who can get pregnant. From putting pressure on care in states where abortion remains accessible to inflicting trauma and grief on those who are forced to travel to access care, here’s how … Read more
The short version is that they’ve been strategically redefining ‘abortion’ across law, culture and medicine, while pushing the false claim that abortion is never necessary to save a person’s life. The end game is legislation that bans abortion in all cases, mandating that doctors only end life-threatening pregnancies using c-sections or induced vaginal birth, no … Read more
This censorship effort doesn’t just impact the data about abortion ban-related deaths, either. Before 2022, both Texas and Georgia had some of the highest maternal mortality rates in the country. There’s been an eye-popping 56% rise in pregnancy-related deaths in Texas over the past few years. Anyone who actually cared about women or “life” would want … Read more
A Texas committee that is meant to review pregnancy-related deaths in the state won’t review cases from 2022 and 2023, the Washington Post reported. That means that pregnancy-related deaths since the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade with the Dobbs decision won’t be reviewed in the state. In Texas, doctors who violate the state’s strict … Read more
But the new laws were already having an effect on the health-care system. Across Texas, residency applications in ob-gyn dropped significantly. Data from the Gender Equity Policy Institute revealed a fifty-six-per-cent spike in maternal deaths in the state between 2019 and 2022. When the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, Texas was no longer an … Read more
Wilson said Georgia’s decision to dismiss its committee could cause greater harm. “What message is being said to the families who lost their loved ones?” she said. “There’s going to be even less accountability for this to not happen again.” Read more at ProPublica
But more than 100 Texas OB-GYNs disagree with his position. In a public letter, written in response to ProPublica’s reporting, they urged changes. “As OB-GYNs in Texas, we know firsthand how much these laws restrict our ability to provide our patients with quality, evidence-based care,” they said. Texas’ abortion ban threatens up to 99 years … Read more
The 35-year-old’s death was preventable, according to more than a dozen doctors who reviewed a detailed summary of her case for ProPublica. Some said it raises serious questions about how abortion bans are pressuring doctors to diverge from the standard of care and reach for less-effective options that could expose their patients to more risks. … Read more
Earlier this week, the powerful Students for Life of America released its wishlist of federal legislation, entitled “Make America Pro-Life Again”, which takes direct aim at access to abortion pills. The group is backing federal bills that would ban abortion pills entirely, outlaw telehealth abortions and require medical-grade cleanup of the pregnancy remains left behind … Read more
Premature births in the U.S. remain at an all-time high, the March of Dimes reports About 370,000 babies were born at 37 weeks’ gestation or earlier last year, according to the report. Preemies are often at higher risk for physical or intellectual disabilities. The problem is particularly troublesome in areas of the country without doctors, … Read more
