This week I want to discuss the unintended consequences of overturning Roe v. Wade. This legislation has devastating effects on women around the country, but it will also affect those who are not in the target population. The first group that will be negatively impacted by the strict regulations placed on reproductive healthcare is medical students.
In medical school, students receive a well-rounded education that exposes them to a wide variety of specialties. This exposure allows students to have basic training in many areas of medicine and helps them choose which specialty they will eventually pursue a residency in. Medical students who are attending school in a state where abortions are banned will now no longer receive abortion training. This will impact the quality of care they can provide to their patients. Not only will they not know how to perform abortions, but they will lack training in handling pregnancy complications. The methods that are used to perform abortions are also used to alleviate obstetric complications (Berg and Woods). The lack of training will impact the health of all women, not just those who are experiencing unintended pregnancies.
Another medical implication of overturning Roe v. Wade is the new complications that will arise because of women’s apprehension and mistrust of the medical system. Women will wait longer to seek reproductive health care or they may attempt to complete an at-home abortion. Medical professionals will need to increase their training on how to treat the complications that may arise from unsafe abortion methods or how to assist women who waited too long to seek care because of fear of the consequences (Berg and Woods).
The next group that is at an increased risk is midlife women. These women are classified as being between the ages of 40 and 65. During this stage of life, many complications arise during pregnancy. The risk of miscarriage increases with age, but without Roe v. Wade, these women may not have access to the care they need. This could result in carrying a deceased fetus for longer than necessary or being denied an abortion until their life is in jeopardy (Berg and Woods). Pregnancy may be dangerous for many women in this age bracket, but not life-threatening. The qualification for receiving an abortion in many states is a risk of death if the pregnancy is carried to term.
The right to privacy is also in question after the overturning of Roe v. Wade. When Roe v. Wade was passed the Supreme Court interpreted a woman’s right to privacy as being protected under the 14th Amendment. The Court concluded that fundamental personal rights can not be dictated by individual states (“Abortion, Roe V. Wade, and Pre-Dobbs Doctrine”). The overturning of Roe v. Wade has put the right to privacy in question. It has set the precedent that all individual privacies can not be interpreted as protected under the Constitution. It provides the states with the power to pass laws that could compromise the rights of others. The next problem that comes to mind is the right to same-sex marriage. This right is also protected under the 14th Amendment. The Supreme Court case that protects same-sex marriage also centered around the debate between what power belongs to the state and what power belongs to the federal government (“Obergefell V. Hodges”). Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health, the case that overturned Roe v. Wade, questioned the idea that privacy is a fundamental right. This could allow states to bring cases before the court and use Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health as an example of the power that belongs to the states.
Lastly, I would like to discuss the implications of Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health on college students, specifically minority and underrepresented students. Many factors come to mind when deciding where to go to college, but access to abortion should not be one of them. A student may not consider the laws of the state they are attending college in, but these laws could have a significant impact on their future. The Hope Center at Temple University conducted a study that found that 70% of parenting students suffer from basic needs insecurity. Unplanned pregnancies are one of the leading reasons why students, specifically female students, drop out of college. The cost of child-care is outrageous and many students do not have a stable support system at college. For those women who continue to pursue their education, only 8% of single mothers finish their degree within a six-year time frame (Rios).
In order to mitigate the effects of unplanned pregnancies abortion services need to be accessible to college students. It is unrealistic for college students to travel hours to another state to gain a safe and legal medical abortion. The transportation and procedure costs are not feasible for many college students. Aside from legalizing abortion, there are several steps that institutions can take to better support their students. One step would be to provide emergency funds for students seeking care, whether that be to support their travel or procedure costs. Institutions also need to better support students who have families by offering affordable and accessible child care. The last support system that needs to be implemented is educational resources. These resources would inform students about the healthcare resources that are available both on and off campus.
Works Cited
Berg, Judith A, and Nancy Fugate Woods. “Overturning Roe v. Wade: consequences for midlife women’s health and well-being.” Women’s midlife health vol. 9,1 2. 6 Jan. 2023, doi:10.1186/s40695-022-00085-8
“Abortion, Roe V. Wade, and Pre-Dobbs Doctrine.” Constitution Annotated, constitution.congress.gov/browse/essay/amdt14-S1-6-4-1/ALDE_00013276.
“Obergefell V. Hodges.” Oyez, www.oyez.org/cases/2014/14-556.
Rios, Leslie. “Abortion Access Is a Student Basic Need.” The Hope Center, 12 Dec. 2022, hope.temple.edu/newsroom/hope-blog/abortion-access-student-basic-need.
I distinctly remember the day that Roe v. Wade got overturned and how terrified it was to experience as a woman. The idea that there is a law over our bodies and that we cannot freely choose what we want to do with it is absurd. It is just simply unsafe to decline abortions to mothers who may medically need one in order to survive. Also, I have never thought about the overturning of Roe v. Wade affected medical students. I want to go to medical school one day, and the fact that some students will get this opportunity to know about performing abortions and some will not is also terrifying. A medical student does not get to choose where they are placed for residency. What if they go to medical school in a state that does not allow abortions, however, they are in their residency in a state where it is legal and where they may have to perform one? I agree with you, unplanned pregnancy abortion services need to be accessible to college students and for all women in that matter. Women should not be forced to have a child. There are numerous reasons as to why they may not have one, and the government should not have any restrictions on women’s bodies.
I like how you went down the list of everyone who is affected by the overturn of Roe v. Wade. Firstly, don’t think I ever really grasped how much this will affect medical students. Learning about women’s health, and how to provide reproductive healthcare to patients is extremely important, so it’s scary to think that some medical students will not have this learning accessible to them. I’m interested to know how medical students will receive abortion training, especially because the governments in those states that restrict abortions are the one’s usually funding public institutions as well as mandating healthcare facilities, so it would be interesting to know how they could combat this issue or at least get around it. Lastly, I like how you touched on how women will be affected by this decision. In addition to midlife women’s health concerns and the overall distrust in the medical field by women, its scary to see how those aspects directly affect women of color. Women of color are 1 in 3 to die of pregnancy death, and this is usually because they are misdiagnosed, and the severity of their pain, etc is not only not paid close attention to, but it also comes from medical professionals not wanting to assist them because of their race (unfortunately). While everything you mentioned is extremely important, it’s important for everyone to recognize how these already existing issues mentioned are exacerbated when it comes to minority women.