Iowa faces a critical shortage of obstetricians and gynecologists, a crisis that has been further complicated by the state’s abortion restrictions. The state has the lowest number of OB-GYNs per capita among states according to a KFF analysis of 2021-22 federal data from the Health Resources and Services Administration, and recent physician departures suggest the legal environment is exacerbating recruitment challenges.
Doctors Leaving the State
Jonna Quinn initially accepted a position as an OB-GYN in Mason City, Iowa, but soon encountered obstacles. The hospital began restricting certain birth control options and fertility treatments based on its Roman Catholic Church affiliation, while the unit became increasingly short-staffed. At one point, Quinn was seeing up to 50 patients a day—twice what a normal OB-GYN typically sees. In spring 2024, as Iowa’s abortion ban approached approval, Quinn decided to relocate to Minnesota, where constitutional protections for abortion exist. After Iowa’s abortion ban went into effect on July 29, 2024, other physicians faced similar pressures.
Rural Hospital Strain
Rural hospitals have been particularly affected. The Grinnell Regional Medical Center, a 49-bed hospital, has been attempting to recruit an OB-GYN and a family practice doctor with obstetrical training for more than a year. After a neighboring hospital closed its labor and delivery unit in 2024, this facility experienced a dramatic increase in deliveries, creating significant stress for its two existing obstetrical-unit doctors. Recently, on-call doctors have been delivering “five babies on Saturday, six babies on Sunday,” according to hospital leadership.
Future Workforce Concerns
Research indicates that abortion restrictions may be influencing the next generation of doctors. According to data analysis from the Association of American Medical Colleges, fewer medical students are applying to OB-GYN residency programs in states that restrict or ban abortion. In Idaho, two years after enacting its abortion law, 35% of the state’s 268 OB-GYNs had stopped practicing obstetrics. Karla Solheim, chair of the Iowa section of the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, confirmed that abortion restrictions remain “a red flag for some OB-GYNs when deciding whether to practice in Iowa.”
Iowa enacted legislation in May that increased Medicaid reimbursement rates for maternity care and directed federal funding toward additional medical residency slots, including OB-GYN positions. However, these initiatives face headwinds from the state’s legal restrictions. Studies show that insufficient maternity care is linked to low birthweight and increased infant and maternal mortality.
This article is an AI-assisted summary. All facts and figures are drawn from the original report: https://kffhealthnews.org/news/article/iowa-obgyn-shortage-abortion-ban-reporductive-care/