As the future of Roe looks increasingly shaky, the implications of its overturning could result in a number of outcomes some of which may not immediately occur to many of us. Pamela Merritt, Executive Director of Medical Students for Choice, talks to us about what the likely overturning of Roe v. Wade may mean for criminalization, health outcomes, and abortion education and training for medical students and residents. 

As the fall of Roe looms, the criminalization of pregnancy outcomes, sexual and reproductive health, and self-managed abortion may become more commonplace. Already, criminalization has crept closer and closer; Texas’s SB8 allows for anyone to sue for those who “aid and abet” in abortion access or care. In a country in which people of color are already hyper-surveilled, these outcomes will be disproportionately felt by Black communities and other communities of color. In an international context, Poland is currently seeking to create a registry of pregnant people using self-reported and investigated information.  

For so many, being able to decide whether or not to carry a pregnancy to term may be a life-or-death decision or can result in extreme health outcomes. For Black pregnant people in the U.S., maternal mortality rates are four times higher than the general population. Putting abortion out of reach means contributing to the persistent maternal health crisis. Abortion bans also impact fertility, access to in vitro fertilization, and the ability to treat fibroids, endometriosis, and polycystic issues. Miscarriage management and treatment of ectopic pregnancies may be up for debate among risk-averse hospital ethics boards.

Roe’s future will have an unknown impact on abortion training and education among medical students and residents. In states that are poised to ban or limit abortion, will residency programs teaching on abortion care and family planning may lose accreditation? Will accrediting programs change their standards of care based on the American Academy of Obstetricians and Gynecologist’s best practices? Likely, in 5 to 20 years, patterns of geographic access to care may become clearer, where providers are legally safer practicing abortion in some areas of the country compared to others. 

Links

INeedanA.com

Abortion Fund Donation Finder

Repro Legal Helpline

Medical Students for Choice on Facebook

Medical Students for Choice on Twitter

National Advocates for Pregnant Women

Policing the Womb 

Personhood Documentary

For more information, check out Boom! Lawyered: https://rewirenewsgroup.com/boom-lawyered/ 

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