State abortion restrictions are contributing to challenges in recruiting and retaining obstetric-gynecology physicians, particularly in rural areas already facing critical shortages. Iowa 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. After Iowa’s abortion ban took effect on July 29, 2024, some experienced physicians left the state, and recent residency application data shows fewer medical students are applying to OB-GYN residency programs in states that restrict or ban abortion, according to analysis from the Association of American Medical Colleges.
Jonna Quinn, an OB-GYN who moved from Iowa to Minnesota in spring 2024, cited the state’s pending abortion restriction as the final factor in her decision to leave. At her previous job, Quinn was seeing up to 50 patients a day—twice what a normal OB-GYN typically sees—as her unit became increasingly short-staffed. Minnesota’s constitutional protections for abortion made the move appealing after years of hospital restrictions on certain birth control options and fertility treatments based on Catholic Church affiliation.
Abortion restrictions complicate standard medical treatments for miscarriage, ectopic pregnancy, premature membrane rupture, and other pregnancy complications, putting physicians under increased strain. Karla Solheim, chair of the Iowa section of the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, noted that doctors “understandably do not want to put their licenses and their livelihood at risk when it comes to taking care of patients.” Studies demonstrate that insufficient maternity care is linked to low birthweight and increased infant and maternal mortality.
Research findings on the impact remain mixed. A recent Idaho study found that two years after enacting highly restrictive abortion law, 35% of the state’s 268 OB-GYNs had stopped practicing obstetrics. However, another analysis of federal data two years after the 2022 Dobbs decision failed to find significant departures of OB-GYNs from states with abortion bans. Researchers noted the analysis does not capture provider satisfaction, quality of care, or provider safety concerns in states with abortion restrictions.
This article is an AI-assisted summary. All facts and figures are drawn from the original report: https://www.postandcourier.com/health/state-abortion-law-difficult-retain-obgyns/article_07c5153a-9b7b-49f5-8d1f-1a3057ded530.html