Three years after the end of constitutional protections for abortion in the U.S., evidence is growing that restrictive laws are affecting the life and work choices of many women. A study by the National Bureau of Economic Research estimates that some 146,000 residents have left 13 states with full or partial bans, involving both medical personnel and patients.
The data reveals that it is mostly young and professional women migrating, driven by fear of medical complications, high health care costs or barriers to career advancement. In some cases, the decision to move comes after abortions denied even in the presence of serious fetal problems.
Many physicians, particularly gynecologists, obstetricians and emergency physicians, are leaving states with abortion bans for a combination of reasons. They fear serious legal consequences, including fines, license revocation or even jail time for treating patients with complications. In several cases, they are forced to wait for patients’ conditions to worsen until they are “in enough danger” to warrant intervention. This is compounded by daily work difficulties: the reduction in the number of patients and the flight of colleagues make work more isolated, difficult, and less rewarding.
The Guardian and other news outlets report that many OB-GYNs and health professionals are leaving states such as Idaho or Texas, concerned about bans that severely complicate emergency care. The New Yorker details that in Texas, many in these professions have chosen to leave or retire, generating a severe shortage of maternal care in rural areas.
