BY PHOEBE KOLBERT | Any day now, the Supreme Court will issue its decision in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization, which many predict will overturn or severely gut Roe v. Wade. Since the start of the Dobbs v. Jackson hearings in December, medical professionals have warned of the drastic health impacts brought on by abortion bans. Now, over 2,500 healthcare professionals from all 50 states have signed a letter urging the Supreme Court to scrap their leaked Dobbs draft opinion and uphold Roe.
Within 30 days of a decision to overturn Roe, at least 26 states will ban abortion. Clinics in remaining pro-abortion states are preparing for increased violence from anti-abortion extremists and an influx of out-of-state patients. The number of legal abortions performed nationwide is projected to fall by about 13 percent. Many abortion clinics in states with bans will be forced to close their doors, if they haven’t already. The loss of these clinics also comes with the loss of the other essential reproductive healthcare they provide, including STI screenings and treatment, birth control and cervical cancer screenings.
The letter, titled “Medical Professionals Urge Supreme Court to Uphold Roe v. Wade, Protect Abortion Access,” argues that decisions around pregnancy and abortion should be made by patients and their doctors, not the courts.
It warns that maternal care, fertility treatments, health, safety and economic well-being are all harmed when abortion is banned: “Pregnancy changes a person’s physiology. These changes can potentially worsen existing diseases and medical conditions. … We see the real-life consequences when an individual does not get the care that they know they need, including abortions.”
The letter also highlights how those bans disproportionally affect people who already face barriers to medical care, such as low-income women, rural residents and Black, Indigenous and other minority populations. “Combined with higher maternal mortality rates and worse health outcomes, denying access to abortions only increases health risks and disparities for already disadvantaged people.”
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