Restricted access to abortion means 'worsening outcomes' for Black women, doctor says

PO1 William "Chip" Nagel
..."A renewed push by several states to restrict access to abortions could have negative consequences for the health and well-being of women, as well as their children, research has shown.

Since January, eight states have passed laws that ban abortions well before 24 to 28 weeks of pregnancy – the fetal viability standard most states follow that stemmed from the 1973 Roe v. Wade U.S. Supreme Court ruling. The recent abortion bills passed by Georgia, Kentucky, Mississippi, Missouri and Ohio set restrictions as early on as six weeks, with Alabama legislators voting to ban nearly all abortions. None of these laws has taken effect and all are expected to face legal challenges.

Research at UC San Francisco and elsewhere has shown that without access to abortion services, more women carry unwanted pregnancies to term and that this can have negative health consequences for these women and their families.

Diana Greene Foster, PhD, a professor in the Department of Obstretrics, Gynecology & Reproductive Sciences and director of research at Advancing New Standards in Reproductive Health (ANSIRH), has done groundbreaking work on the effect of unintended pregnancy on women’s lives. She leads the nationwide Turnaway Study, the first major longitudinal study examining the physical and social consequences for women who have been denied wanted abortions. She answered some questions about the new wave of abortion restrictions nationwide.

So what is the significance of the new restrictions in many states that limit abortion to six or eight weeks of pregnancy?

Pregnancy is, first of all, measured by most physicians from the beginning of the woman’s last period – which is earlier than conception."...