Violence is a population health problem. Violence is tragically common, with women and girls experiencing the majority of fatal and non-fatal violent victimization. The risk of injury and death in a given violent act increases with the use of firearms. One potential cause of violence is abortion-restriction policies. Preliminary research has found that pregnant people ...Read more >

The US Supreme Court’s decision in Dobbs v Jackson Women’s Health Organization marks the most significant shift in the country’s abortion landscape since the 1970s. Following this ruling, several states have enacted bans on abortion, while others have introduced policies that either further restrict or safeguard access to the procedure. Evidence from the pre-Dobbs era ...Read more >

This 12-month quantitative study of Texas inpatient and outpatient hospital records will evaluate how the Dobbs decision, Senate Bill 8 (pre-Dobbs ban on abortion after detection of cardiac activity) and Texas’ subsequent total abortion ban impacted the health of people experiencing pregnancy loss in Texas. Pregnancy loss occurs in 1 in 5 pregnancies and adequate ...Read more >

In the leadup and wake of the Dobbs decision, both business leaders and policymakers have contended that abortion restrictions hinder worker recruitment and retention. Economic arguments of this nature have been used to oppose abortion restrictions and to advocate for protective measures. In this study, we aim to quantify these economic effects that business leaders ...Read more >

The proposed study, “Impact of post-Dobbs state abortion bans on workforce attrition and Labor and Delivery unit closures,” leverages existing hospital, workforce, and census data to examine state-level trends in the obstetrician-gynecologist and primary care workforces, and L&D unit closures before and after the Dobbs decision. Primary data sources include the American Hospital Association’s Annual ...Read more >

Access to early, comprehensive, and high-quality prenatal care improves maternal and child health. In the wake of abortion bans, decreased access to reproductive health care and legal complexities around miscarriage management could create challenges to accessing prenatal care. This could disproportionately affect populations of pregnant people whose access to care is already constrained by multiple ...Read more >

In June 2022, the US Supreme Court’s decision in Dobbs v Jackson Women’s Health Organization overturned nearly 50 years of federal abortion protections established by Roe v Wade, prompting many states to impose strict abortion restrictions, including total bans. Research on how these restrictions affect maternal and infant outcomes is limited. This project aims to: ...Read more >

Family planning clinics, including those that provide abortion, are the backbone of sexually transmitted infection (STI) testing in the US. Rates of STIs are rising nationally, with long term health consequences like pelvic inflammatory disease and infertility for individuals who go untreated. Abortion care provision in the US has shifted preceding, and after, the Dobbs ...Read more >

Advanced practice clinicians, eg, nurse practitioners, certified nurse midwives, and physician assistants, are a critical component of the abortion provider infrastructure in the US. While provision of abortion by advanced practice clinicians is commonplace in the US, the scientific literature is less robust in this area and particularly sparse regarding medication abortion provision, which now ...Read more >

Abortion restrictions result in increased geographic and cost-related barriers to abortion care, and higher odds of remaining pregnant with an undesired pregnancy, further perpetuating health inequities. Novel models of community-based abortion care delivery are urgently needed. Guidelines support medication abortion provision by advance practice clinicians (APCs) including nurse practitioners (NPs), certified nurse midwives (CNMs) and ...Read more >