Rural America’s Maternal-Health Crisis Is About to Get Much Worse
Care will be in shorter supply, travel distances will stretch farther, and high-risk situations will more likely result in tragedy. Read more at The Atlantic
OB-GYN shortage
Religious anti-abortion center finds opportunity in town without OB-GYNs
“Crisis pregnancy centers have, for years and years, capitalized on gaps in access to healthcare,” she said. “In no way, shape, or form do crisis pregnancy centers have the infrastructure or ability or training to bridge those gaps.” According to Swartzendruber’s research, more than 2,600 crisis pregnancy centers operated in the U.S. as of 2024, … Read more
Wyoming lawmakers use pro-natalist arguments to justify proposed new partial abortion ban
As birth rates fall in the U.S., prominent conservatives such as Vance are encouraging Americans to have more children. They say that’s crucial to maintaining the nation’s workforce, so there will be enough caregivers for an aging population. Now, those arguments are being cited to pass new state-level restrictions on abortion, including in Wyoming, which … Read more
Iowa doesn’t have enough OB-GYNs. Is the state’s abortion ban part of the problem?
Recent data on residency applications show that state abortion bans may be influencing the next generation of doctors. Fewer medical students are applying to OB-GYN residency programs in states that restrict or ban abortion, according to a data analysis from the Association of American Medical Colleges. Read more at National Public Radio, Inc.
Doctors left Idaho after abortion ban, study confirms
Idaho lost more than a third of its practicing obstetrician doctors after the state’s near-total abortion ban took effect, a new study published in a peer-reviewed academic journal confirms. Read more at the Washington State Standard
Meet the new American refugees fleeing across state lines for safety
Kayla Smith and Kylie Cooper Left Idaho for Washington and Minnesota to flee a strict abortion ban The number of people internally displaced by anti-abortion laws is startling. A recent study published by the National Bureau of Economic Research of 13 states with strict abortion bans found that, between them, they are losing 36,000 residents … Read more
How the abortion rights landscape changed in 2024
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
Republicans don’t care if women die from abortion bans – but they don’t want you to know about it
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
The Texas Ob-Gyn Exodus
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
Premature births remain high in the United States
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