A new Texas law will allow exceptions to its near-total abortion ban with two specific types of pregnancies. But doctors in the state say it largely won’t change access to abortion, even in cases where the law appears to now permit care. Read more at 19th News
In conservative states, care delays largely stem from the fallout of the Dobbs decision last summer when the supreme court revoked the constitutional right to abortion. Facing possible lawsuits for providing abortion care, OB-GYNs in Texas, Florida, Idaho and elsewhere are choosing to relocate to more liberal states, while medical students are opting for other … Read more
Across Idaho, doctors are leaving, looking for states where politics don’t dictate how they practice medicine. The consequences of Idaho’s anti-choice laws hit Sandpoint fast and hard, hollowing out medical care for women within months. For years, the town had a maternity ward that delivered as many as 350 babies every year – now it … Read more
“Abortion providers, OB-GYNs, nurse practitioners are being pushed out of certain parts of the country that do have these restrictive abortion laws. That’s having a spillover effect for those that want to continue their pregnancies,” said Jamila Taylor, president and CEO of the National WIC Association. Read more at Politico
In the 11 months since the bans have been in place, Idaho has seen OB-GYNs, nurses, midwives and other staff speak out about these challenges. They’ve made difficult decisions to leave for states where they felt they could practice without the threat of criminal penalties. Multiple hospitals in Idaho have closed maternity units in part … Read more
Reproductive health has been hit particularly hard. According to the Alabama Department of Public Health, only 16 of Alabama’s 54 rural counties have hospitals providing obstetric services. Seven counties have no hospitals at all. As of 2020, 40 percent of the state was considered a “maternity care desert” with virtually no access to services in … Read more
States with abortion bans could drive away young doctors, especially OB-GYNs, survey finds The reluctance to be a medical resident — young doctors who train in hospitals or clinics after graduating medical school — in states with abortion bans could further strain health care shortages in many parts of the country. Read more at NBC … Read more
Meanwhile, more than 2.2 million women of childbearing age live in maternity care deserts, or areas where there’s a lack of maternity resources, including hospitals and birth centers offering obstetric care, according to a 2022 report by March of Dimes. According to the report, 16 percent of Black babies were born in areas with limited … Read more
Data released last fall by the infant and maternal health nonprofit March of Dimes also shows that more than 2.2 million women of childbearing age across 1,119 US counties are living in “maternity care deserts,” meaning their counties have no hospitals offering obstetric care, no birth centers and no obstetric providers. Read more at CNN … Read more
States that have banned or restricted abortion access in the wake of the Roe v. Wade overturn also have higher rates of maternal mortality and infant death — especially among women of color — compared with states where abortion remains accessible. That’s according to a new report from The Commonwealth Fund published Wednesday. Read more … Read more
