In a brand new temporary, KFF explores how abortion bans and restrictions within the aftermath of the Supreme Court docket’s 2022 Dobbs resolution can additional complicate being pregnant loss.
Being pregnant loss, which incorporates miscarriage and stillbirth, is frequent, and for many individuals, it’s a bodily, mentally, and emotionally taxing expertise. The medical interventions used to handle miscarriages and stillbirths are sometimes the identical medicines and procedures utilized in abortions, which suggests abortion bans and restrictions can find yourself limiting look after being pregnant loss.
Additional, the specter of criminalization and penalties for clinicians who present abortions in states with bans can create a chilling impact on scientific care. 4 in 10 OBGYNs who observe in states with abortion bans report that administration of miscarriages and pregnancy-related emergencies has turn into worse for the reason that Dobbs ruling.
Whereas all state abortion bans have exceptions for instances of life endangerment of the pregnant particular person, they don’t account for the wide selection of circumstances individuals might face when experiencing a being pregnant loss. In the meantime, the rising document of documented instances of individuals experiencing pregnancy-related emergencies who’ve been denied care highlights what abortion restrictions can imply for being pregnant loss administration.