Submission ID 130493
| Issue/Objective | Restrictive abortion laws are now understood to be structural determinants of health with major implications for maternal health. Changes in law, exemplified by the Supreme Court ruling on Roe vs. Wade in 2022, and the continued criminalization of abortion in LMICs, have made it so that there is a global environment in which accessing reproductive health services is often hindered. This systematic review aims to summarize the existing literature on how restrictive abortion laws affect various aspects, such as maternal morbidity and mortality, the health gap between different groups, and the quality of medicine practice and medical education. |
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| Methodology/Approach | Systematic searches of the PubMed, Embase, Web of Science, and Scopus databases were performed using a search string targeting issues of abortion law, pregnancy-related deaths, and reproductive justice. Quantitative projections, economic cause-and-effect analysis, ethnography, and policy reviews from multiple countries were included (US, Brazil, Senegal, South Africa, Nepal). |
| Results | There are also restrictions that correlate with increased mortality from pregnancies in mothers, including a 21% increase in the United States and 33% for non-Hispanic Black individuals. Similar cases were found in Brazil, where there are higher maternal mortality rates in abortion for Indigenous and Black individuals compared to white people. Some regulations can cause higher rates of pre-eclampsia and eclampsia. These restrictions have been shown to negatively affect the wellbeing of both mother and newborns. Restrictions on abortion in low- and middle-income countries lead to unsafe abortions and more severe pregnancy complications, such as increased risks for bleeding, sepsis, and uterine injuries. In addition, there are various workforce consequences related to restrictive laws, including moral distress among maternal-fetal medicine providers due to gag restrictions. In addition, there have been some reported lower interest in pursuing training in OB/GYN in restricted states in the U.S., as well as some changes in post-abortion practices around the world. |
| Discussion/Conclusion | Abortion restrictions intensify racial and socioeconomic disparities, as well as undermine the professional and ethical integrity of obstetrics. Reproductive justice demands a transformation in which abortion is regarded as a form of health care and where there is an investment in social capital to facilitate reproductive autonomy. |
| Presenters and Affiliations | Kinjal Nayak kent state university Kinjal Nayak kent state university |
