Physicians report negative impacts of abortion bans across pregnancy care
In 2022, the U.S. Supreme Court's Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization decision allowed states to enact laws that ban or severely restrict abortion. Four years later, a study led by Harvard Medical School researchers at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center shows that the effects of those laws are being felt throughout the health care system, forcing physicians to weigh legal risks, delay…
In 2022, the U.S. Supreme Court's Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization decision overturned a precedent that allowed states to enact laws banning or severely restricting abortion. This led to a study by Harvard Medical School researchers from Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, published on June 22 in JAMA Network Open, examining the impact of these abortion bans on pregnancy care.
The study, led by Sara Neill, found that physicians are increasingly burdened by legal risks and deviations from standard medical practices when treating patients with serious pregnancy-related conditions. Of the 40 physicians surveyed, 30 women and 10 men reported delays in care for miscarriages, ectopic pregnancies, and other complications due to concerns about legal liability.
These delays involved additional testing, specialist consultations, and sometimes waiting until patients' conditions worsened before treatment could be provided. Some physicians also noted growing mistrust among patients, who delayed seeking care or withheld information out of fear of being reported for seeking abortion-adjacent care.
The study suggests that these legal restrictions strain an already burdened healthcare system and highlight the real-world impact of navigating legal restrictions on care.
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