Access to Abortion After Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization: Advocacy and a Call to Action for the Profession of Psychiatry

Abstract

On June 24, 2022, the US Supreme Court released a decision in Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization that the Constitution of the United States does not "prohibit the citizens of each State from regulating or prohibiting abortion" ([1], page 79]. "We now …. turn that authority to the people and their elected representatives" ([1], page 79]). Thus, decades of legal precedent on abortion law were overturned. This decision allows individual states to determine access to abortion services. As of August 25, 2022, nine states have banned abortion, four states have banned abortion at 6 weeks after the last menstrual period, and one state has banned abortion at 20 weeks after the last menstrual period [2]. According to the Guttmacher Institute, it is estimated that 58% of women in the USA of reproductive age live in a state "hostile to abortion rights" [3]. When states prohibit abortion, women's decision-making as to whether to continue their pregnancy to viability and term is negated.Numerous medical organizations have denounced the Court's decision. The American Medical Association, in an alliance with the American College of Obstetrics and Gynecologists and more than 75 health care organizations, opposed all legislative interference in the patient-clinician relationship [4]. The alliance stated that patients needed to be able to access-and * John Coverdale

Depressive symptomatology in pregnant adolescents: considerations for care

“…As a result, adolescents may be disproportionately affected by abortion restrictions, particularly adolescents living in the Southern United States, rural areas with limited providers, or in countries where abortion access has historically been limited [29]. Research indicates that receiving an abortion is not associated with increases in depressive symptomatology, whereas being denied an abortion is associated with higher levels of anxiety and lower levels of life satisfaction [30]. Additional research is needed to better understand the effects of restricted abortion access on the mental health of pregnant adolescents [31].…”

Potential consequences of the Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization decision.

“…As of October 2023, individuals in 14 states do not have access to abortion in their state, and two additional states have effectively eliminated abortion by restricting access following the detection of cardiac activity. The Dobbs decision has been rebuked by the American Medical Association and the American College of Obstetrics and Gynecologists, along with many other health care organizations (Coverdale et al, 2023). This special section highlights intersections between substance use and sexual and reproductive behaviors, drawing upon this evidence to form inferences about the potential downstream consequences of the Dobbs legislation.…”