Kentucky's abortion ban is hurting women and driving away doctors. It's time to repeal it.
As we approach the second year since the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, it’s crucial for Kentuckians to understand the real-life consequences of having one of the most restrictive abortion bans in the country. These laws do more than just limit abortion; they limit the number of physicians who will choose to practice in our state, thereby hurting everyday Kentuckians who need health care.
Abortion bans lead to fewer future doctors
This is not a hypothetical consideration. A recent study by the Association of American Medical Colleges found that medical students are less likely to apply for residencies in states with strict abortion laws. Nearly 60% of applicants stated they would not pursue residency in states with abortion bans, according to a survey by the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists.
Here in Kentucky, we have seen a 15% drop in residency applicants overall, especially for ob-gyn programs. When medical students at the University of Louisville conducted a survey of the three medical schools in Kentucky, they found that many will opt for residencies out of state due to these restrictions. Fewer new doctors means less access to health care for Kentuckians, especially women.
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Young doctors shouldn’t have to train or work where evidence-based medicine and basic freedoms are restricted. The Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education requires OBGYN residents to have access to abortion training. If they cannot get the training they need here, they are unlikely to stay and practice here, leading to a shortage of OBGYNs. Further, doctors without proper abortion training may struggle to handle miscarriages, ectopic pregnancies or complications like infection or hemorrhage from pregnancy loss.
Kentucky women are forced to seek health care elsewhere
Abortion bans like Kentucky’s do not just force women to travel hundreds of miles to another state to access safe and legal abortion, they impact gynecologic and obstetric care as well. Banning abortion means fewer doctors are willing and able to treat other pregnancy conditions like miscarriages or ectopic pregnancies in fear of felony charges.
This puts physicians in an untenable position — leave the state or risk violating their Hippocratic Oath.
When doctors, residents and medical students avoid practicing in Kentucky, it widens the health care gap between urban and rural areas. Rural communities, already struggling with limited health care services, are hit the hardest. Essential care like breast and gynecologic cancer screenings becomes even less accessible. The loss of medical providers due to these restrictive laws is making a bad situation worse for women across the state.
With 72 of 120 counties already left without a single practicing obstetrician, is Kentucky prepared to lose even more future doctors?
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It’s why over 300 health care professionals joined together earlier this year to publicly oppose Kentucky’s abortion ban, because our collective voice underscores how these bans severely impact our ability to provide essential medical care to Kentuckians.
It's time to repeal Kentucky's abortion ban
We may be in different stages of our medical careers — an OBGYN with over 10 years practicing medicine and a medical student slated to graduate in 2027 — but we have both already seen the acute consequences of our state’s abortion ban.
As physicians, we bear witness to some of the most intimate moments in a person’s life. We see the struggles our patients face attempting to navigate care across state lines. We witness the barriers that cost and travel impart on the care they are able to receive. We comfort patients facing a system that is failing them. Lawmakers are playing politics with people’s lives and physicians are leaving because of it.
No one should have to leave Kentucky to get necessary medical care. Kentuckians deserve the right to make their own health care decisions without lawmakers interfering, and doctors should be free to provide thorough, evidence-based care without fear of prosecution. It is time to repeal these restrictive abortion bans to protect the health and well-being of everyone in our state.
Dr. Alecia Fields is an OBGYN practicing in Kentucky. She is a fellow with Physicians for Reproductive Health and is board certified in Complex Family Planning. Shriya Dodwani is a second-year medical student at the University of Louisville, where she is president of the American Medical Association/Kentucky Medical Association chapter.
This article originally appeared on Louisville Courier Journal: Kentucky abortion ban hurts women's healthcare, limits doctors
