Media Center: Physicians’ Stories

Following the federal abortion ban decision, our physician members spoke out about how the ban is likely to affect their practices. Here are some of their stories.

"As an abortion provider, my primary concerns are how this law will affect my practice, and how it could harm my patients’ health. Last year, I treated a woman I’ll call Lisa. She had two children at home and was pregnant with her third. Lisa suffered from heart disease—a condition known as peripartum cardiomyopathy that developed after her last delivery. Her condition had worsened substantially within the last week, and we were not sure how much longer her heart could withstand the strain of her pregnancy.

"After extensive counseling, we proceeded with an abortion using the method I deemed to be the safest for her at that time—a method that Congress has banned. I will have to think long and hard about what I will do the next time I take care of a patient like Lisa. What am I supposed to say to her? 'I'm sorry, but you’re part of the small fraction of women our laws ignore'?"

"Recently, I cared for a woman who was 22 weeks pregnant, whom I will call Claire. Claire had just learned her baby had a severe chromosomal abnormality that was almost certainly fatal. She and her husband had decided to end the pregnancy. Claire didn't have many options to safely end her pregnancy. Because she previously had both a cesarean and another surgery on her uterus, we ruled out labor induction. Claire also had fibroid tumors, which greatly enlarged her uterus and made it harder for us to reach the fetus with surgical instruments.

"The method I used for Claire's abortion—which I firmly believe was the best and safest option—is now illegal. Over and over during the procedure, I said to the doctors who were helping me, 'Thank goodness we have this method.' If we had to use another abortion technique, Claire would have needed blood transfusions and probably a hysterectomy—ending her chances of having another child.

"What I did one month ago—clearly the best possible surgical approach for Claire—could now land me in jail for two years. I was practicing good medicine before the ban.

"Now I have to practice medicine in fear of criminal prosecution and with important tools taken away. I worry most about that unforeseen circumstance where I will have to withhold what I know is the best treatment in order not to violate the act. No doctor should be forced to make that choice."

"Many of my patients face serious health complications either caused or exacerbated by pregnancy, such as diabetes, high blood pressure and abnormal placentas. These women need immediate treatment, but politicians are now standing in my office, between me and my patient, telling me how to practice medicine.

"Let me tell you about a patient from the hospital at which I work. She was a 25-year-old with a blood clotting disorder and other complications. After dilating her cervix overnight, we quickly completed the abortion, with minimal blood loss, using a technique that is now banned. After a transfusion of two units of blood, my patient was discharged the next day in good health.

"Until now, the Supreme Court has always required exceptions in abortion regulations to protect the woman’s health and life. It is unacceptable that women facing serious health complications may be denied the safest and most effective treatment."