Stephan: Yesterday I gave SR over to the impact and implications of the Supreme Court's overturn of Roe. As you could see this is causing changes in American society that go way past just the immediate abortion issue. And here is another impact and this one like the others is going to change the culture of Red states particularly. Red states generally already have notably inferior healthcare compared to Blue states and, as this article lays out, I predict the already second-class healthcare for Red state citizens is only going to get worse. If you are a young doctor, particularly an OB-GYN, or internist are you going to set up your practice in a state that could send you to prison for even counseling a woman or child seeking an abortion, or in a Blue state where women have full rights over their bodies?
‘With the restrictive laws, you likely will see a behavioral change, that people will make decisions about where they choose to train, where they choose to practice.’ Illustration: The Guardian
For students pursuing their medical education in states banning abortion, the ruling leaves them grappling with the challenges of a healthcare procedure becoming criminalized
Fourth-year medical student Mackenzie Bennett was on a conference call when news broke that Roe v Wade had been overturned. The topic was telehealth and medication abortion.
“We stopped the meeting, we just had to log off and sit in those feelings for a minute. It was honestly really devastating,” says Bennett, who is pursuing dual medical and public health degrees specializing in OB-GYN at Emory School of Medicine in Atlanta.
In coming weeks, Georgia will probably ban most abortions after six weeks. For students like Bennett pursuing their medical education in states poised to ban abortion services, the ruling impacts not just the training they will receive, it leaves them grappling with the personal, moral and practical challenges of a common (and sometimes, life-saving) healthcare procedure becoming criminalized. […]
