Physicians for Reproductive Health leads roundtable discussion with abortion providers from around the country
On Tuesday, Physicians for Reproductive Health hosted a roundtable discussion with abortion providers from around the country to mark the anniversary of Roe v. Wade (January 22) and discuss the future of abortion access as the Supreme Court prepares to severely undermine abortion rights this year.
Participants discussed how current abortion restrictions like Texas’ near-total abortion ban (SB 8) are harming patients seeking abortion care, how the end of Roe v. Wade could impact the health of their communities, and what policymakers can do to protect and expand access.
Participants shared the following statements. A full recording of today’s discussion is also available to view here.
Dr. Jamila Perritt, ob/gyn in Washington, DC and President and CEO of Physicians for Reproductive Health:
“Politics has no place in the deeply personal decisions people make about their bodies. Despite the protections provided by a legal framework like Roe, legality has never been enough to ensure true access to abortion care for everyone who wants or needs it. Anti-abortion politicians have made barriers to abortion care insurmountable for many people, especially Black, Brown and Indigenous people of color, immigrants, young people, or people living on low incomes. In a country that claims to value bodily autonomy and the concept of ‘justice for all,’ I cannot think of a more blatant disregard for these tenets than what is occurring now in many parts of this county.”
Dr. Bhavik Kumar, family medicine physician in Texas and board member with Physicians for Reproductive Health:
“I have been providing abortion care in Texas for almost seven years now and have witnessed law after law, regulation after regulation, and so much more, chip away at people’s ability to access abortion care in this state. Today marks 140 days of living and providing care under Senate Bill 8 or SB 8, the nation’s harshest abortion restriction. As a physician, telling someone that you aren’t legally able to do something in their best interest has felt unethical and traumatic for all involved. I have seen patients show determination and strength in these moments while also witnessing audible wailing and begging for help. When it comes to traumatic assaults on abortion access, what happens in Texas doesn’t stay in Texas. A near complete ban on abortion in Texas has already harmed clinics in other states who are still trying to take care of the people they usually would. The people who have been most harmed by abortion restrictions will continue to bear the greatest burden, namely low-income people and people of color, particularly Black people. We will also see rises in maternal morbidity and maternal mortality and again, Black women will bear the brunt of this trauma.”
Kiernan Cobb, RN, BSN, Director of Nursing at Trust Women in Oklahoma and Kansas:
“Working in abortion care inspired me to become a nurse and I am hoping to pursue my APRN to provide abortions. But this is not possible here in Oklahoma, or in most other states. It is an ongoing struggle to grant midlevel practitioners authority to work within their scope and skillset across all of health care. These restrictions are passed under the guise of patient safety yet explicitly keep patients from seeing competent providers. Arbitrary, medically inaccurate barriers to when, where, how, and by whom abortions are performed exist in nearly every state. This burdens doctors and patients with increased patient volume, wait times, and risk. No area of health care is restricted the way abortion care is and no other providers have to jump through the absurd hoops that abortion providers must. They are forced to tell patients, at best, medically unnecessary, and at worst medically inaccurate information. Legal action is always looming, but we keep doing the work despite and in spite of it.”
Dr. Aishat Olatunde, ob/gyn in Pennsylvania and fellow with Physicians for Reproductive Health:
“I’ve trained and worked now in Seattle, Washington and Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. I didn’t realize how drastically more accessible abortion care is in Seattle, until I moved to Philadelphia. I am losing count of the number of hoops patients must jump through every day to get an abortion. Even in the presence of Roe, the patients I care for are seen as incapable and unable to make decisions about their body without government interference. With no trigger law in place in Pennsylvania, abortion as it is currently stands will stay the same in the event of Roe being overturned. But it still feels precarious here in Pennsylvania. With a state legislature seemingly obsessed with restricting abortion, it constantly feels like we’re teetering on the brink. Our only line of defense right now is our governor using his veto power. People make all sorts of decisions regarding their health care all the time and they should be able to do that when it comes to abortion. It shouldn’t depend on where they live, how much money they make, or who the governor is. We desperately need federal protections for abortion access and coverage without any strings attached.”
A recording of the speakers’ full remarks is available here. To schedule additional interviews with any of the participants, please contact Ben Currey at [email protected].
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Physicians for Reproductive Health (PRH) organizes, mobilizes, and amplifies the voices of medical providers to advance sexual and reproductive health, rights, and justice. Our programs combine education, advocacy, and strategic communications to ensure access to abortion care and equitable, comprehensive health care. We believe that this work is necessary for all people to live freely, with dignity, safety, and security.