Following last week’s leak of a draft Supreme Court opinion which could overturn Roe v. Wade, several states could severely restrict abortion rights if the opinion is overturned – including North Carolina. Duke University physicians discussed what the medical fallout effect would be from these potential abortion bans.
North Carolina has several abortion restrictions in effect: insurance requirements, parental consent for minors and a 72 hour waiting period between receiving state-mandated abortion counseling and receiving an abortion. If Roe v. Wade is overturned, access to abortion could be severely restricted in the state.
Dr. Jonas Swartz, a researcher in reproductive health at Duke, said just because we take away the right to a safe abortion does not take away access to abortion overall. He said it means people will instead try to access abortions through less safe way.
Swartz said he’s cared for patients who’ve suffered septic abortions because they could not access safe abortion care. This occurs when an infection in the uterus spreads to the bloodstream.
“Prior to Roe v. Wade, there were whole hospital wards filled with women who had septic abortions and had major morbidity and mortality from them,” Swartz said. “When I think about going back to that reality, it really would be a horrible consequence of removing access to safe abortion.”
90 percent of all abortions occur in the first trimester of pregnancy according to Dr. Beverly Gray, who is an obstetrician and gynecologist at Duke. She said when some states have bans on abortions their residents in need of abortions go to surrounding states.
“We’re seeing this sort of tidal wave effect of folks seeking care,” Gray said. “The vast majority of abortions happen in the first trimester. If you have delays in care due to access, that is going to shift.”
Gray said there’s a lot of stigma around abortion as its not widely talked about.
“We know that by the time women reach menopause, around one in four of those women will have had an abortion,” Gray said.
She said she’s concerned about abortion education for future physicians. They might not be adequately prepared to handle pregnancy complications in places without abortion healthcare.
“The impact that this legislation could have on training is huge,” Gray said. “The next generation of physicians may not be adequately trained to care for miscarriage, for abortion, for complications of pregnancy that arise in the mid-trimester. That’s definitely a concern. It will influence where some of our best applicants for OBGYN apply for residency.”
Swartz said he believes people need the freedom to have control of their bodily autonomy regardless of their decisions surrounding pregnancy.
“I can’t think of another instance where we in medicine would take away something that’s proven to be safe and effective, and force people to resort to some other technique that they can’t access through their normal medical care,” Swartz said. “It just doesn’t make sense.”
Abortion is still legal in North Carolina through 20 weeks unless to save the life or health of the child-bearer.
Photo via REUTERS/Joshua Roberts
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