Last night, President Joe Biden addressed the nation in the State of the Union, during which he mentioned the impact of the Dobbs decision on the wellbeing of the country.
Dr. Jamila Perritt, ob/gyn and President & CEO of Physicians for Reproductive Health responds:
“Last night, it was gratifying to see so many abortion storytellers, abortion providers, and abortion advocates included as special guests of members of Congress and the First Lady to attend President Biden’s State of the Union Address. PRH community members Drs. Caitlin Bernard and Meera Shah were some of the many guests at the address representing the countless abortion providers across the country committed to their communities.
“Celebrating the tireless work of abortion providers is just one small way that elected officials can acknowledge the essential support that they provide their communities. I hope that year after year, more people directly impacted by abortion bans and restrictions will be invited into these spaces. It was powerful to hear the stories of Latorya Beasley and Kate Cox, both Americans who have been impacted by attacks on bodily autonomy over the last several months; attacks on IVF and attacks on people who need emergent abortion care. Shedding light on the many sidedness of this crisis is essential to telling the real story: attacks on health care impact all of us.
While I am glad to see President Biden is focused on the abortion access crisis, I was concerned by the stated goal to restore the legal framework of Roe v. Wade.
“While I am glad to see President Biden is focused on the abortion access crisis, I was concerned by the stated goal to restore the legal framework of Roe v. Wade. I’ve been providing abortion care for almost 20 years. During all of that time, just because I was practicing under laws that made abortion legal did not mean that it was actually accessible. Roe was not and will never be enough. Under Roe, too many pregnant people were denied timely, necessary care, subjected to harmful delays and requirements, and denied insurance coverage for their care. We need to make it clear that politics has no place in the decisions people are making about their health care.
“The physicians who I am honored to be in community with at Physicians for Reproductive Health do the work that we do because we believe in the autonomy of patients. People have always deserved and will always deserve to do what they know is best for their health, their families, and their futures. In this post-Roe climate of increased criminalization, surveillance, and denials of care, we need bold solutions that address abortion access as the intersectional issue it is, not in a silo and not as it was decided in 1973. Our lives and health depend on it.”