{"id":212733,"date":"2022-06-10T18:44:00","date_gmt":"2022-06-10T22:44:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/sph\/?post_type=bu-article&#038;p=212733"},"modified":"2022-06-15T09:46:03","modified_gmt":"2022-06-15T13:46:03","slug":"scotus-abortion-case-is-about-the-full-spectrum-of-reproductive-healthcare","status":"publish","type":"bu-article","link":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/sph\/news\/articles\/2022\/scotus-abortion-case-is-about-the-full-spectrum-of-reproductive-healthcare\/","title":{"rendered":"SCOTUS Abortion Case &#8216;Is About the Full Spectrum of Reproductive Healthcare&#8217;"},"content":{"rendered":"\t<div class=\"wp-block-editorial-leadin sphnews-block-editorial-leadin has-media has-media-focus-center-middle\">\n\t\t<div class=\"container-lockup\">\n\n\t\t\t<div class=\"wp-block-leadin-media\">\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"wp-block-background-video\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"wp-block-background-video-ratio\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"wp-block-background-video-iframe\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<iframe\n\t\t\t\t\t\tsrc=\"\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/S6cwWMS0UMs\"\n\t\t\t\t\t\tframeborder=\"0\"\n\t\t\t\t\t\tallow=\"autoplay; fullscreen\"\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t><\/iframe>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\n\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"container-words-outer\">\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"container-words-inner\">\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"wp-prepress-tag\">Public Health Conversation<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<h1 class=\"head\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tSCOTUS Abortion Case &#8216;Is About the Full Spectrum of Reproductive Care&#8217;\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/h1>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<h4 class=\"deck\">Moderated by Professor Nicole Huberfeld, an SPH Public Health Conversation on June 9 drew legal and public health scholars to discuss the consequences of restrictions on abortion.<\/h4>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\n\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\n\t<\/div>\n\n\t\n<div class=\"wp-prepress-component-metabar js-block-editorial-metabar sphnews-prepress-layout-metabar\">\n\t<div class=\"wp-prepress-component-metabar-wrapper\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"wp-prepress-component-metabar-date\">June 10, 2022<\/div>\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"wp-prepress-component-metabar-credits\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<ul data-credit-type=\"By\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/sph\/news\/authors\/teresa-wood-kett\/\">Teresa Wood Kett<\/a><\/li>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/ul>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"wp-prepress-component-metabar-share js-bu-prepress-share-tools\">\n\t\t\t<span class=\"icon-twitter\"><span>Twitter<\/span><\/span>\n\t\t\t<span class=\"icon-facebook\"><span>Facebook<\/span><\/span>\n\t\t\t<span class=\"icon-action\"><\/span>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\t\n\n\n<p>The anticipated US Supreme Court decision that is expected to overturn <em>Roe v. Wade<\/em> is about far more than just abortion, and the potential ramifications of the<em> Dobbs v. Jackson Women\u2019s Health Organization<\/em> ruling were the subject of a School of Public Health conversation on Thursday, June 9.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Moderated by <a href=\"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/sph\/profile\/nicole-huberfeld\/\">Nicole Huberfeld<\/a>, Edward R. Utley Professor of Health Law at the School of Public Health, and professor of law at the School of Law, the virtual event \u201c<a href=\"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/sph\/public-health-conversations\/uncategorized\/roe-in-the-balance-the-future-of-reproductive-justice-in-the-united-states\/\">Roe in the Balance: The Future of Reproductive Health in the United States<\/a>\u201d drew legal and public health scholars to discuss the real-world consequences of a post-Roe America.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Huberfeld said the right to privacy does not simply protect the right to an abortion, but is a \u201cpart of a web of rights pertaining to intimate relationships in the United States,\u201d including marriage, raising children, contraception, access to reproductive care, even <em>in vitro<\/em> fertilization. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cWhen we talk about the right to privacy, even though abortion gets all of the light and heat, it is actually a much broader concept than that, and I think it&#8217;s important to understand everything that&#8217;s at stake, even though we sometimes I think use abortion as a proxy for all of the different features of what the umbrella of reproductive justice covers.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Panelist Jacqueline Ayers, senior vice president of Planned Parenthood Federation of America, said we\u2019re already getting a preview of what a post-Roe US will look like because of the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2021\/09\/01\/health\/texas-abortion-law-facts.html\">September 2021 Texas ban<\/a> prohibiting abortion after six weeks gestation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>People seeking abortion healthcare are struggling to travel and cannot; it\u2019s particularly dangerous for undocumented immigrants, Ayers said. She shared the story of a domestic violence victim who said they barely made it to a healthcare center near their home without their partner knowing, and wouldn\u2019t be able to travel out of state for care. And providers in Massachusetts, New York, and other states where access is less restricted are becoming overwhelmed with patients from Texas.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>&nbsp;\u201cWe&#8217;ve seen patients with intended pregnancies who aren&#8217;t able to get care after they have had complications with that pregnancy and the fetus is no longer viable because doctors in the state of Texas right now are afraid to help,\u201d Ayers said, adding that patients are being told to return home until they may be facing sepsis or death themselves.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The panel also included Benjamin Brown, assistant professor at the Warren Alpert Medical School at Brown University; Rebecca Hart Holder, executive director at Reproductive Equity Now, and Desire\u00e9 Luckey, director of policy at URGE: Unite for Reproductive &amp; Gender Equity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Luckey recounted a personal story about accessing abortion care in Texas just before the September 2021 ban went into effect. Luckey said it felt like a full-time job, even for someone like her with knowledge of the system and an early positive pregnancy test due to the care she received following a sexual assault.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cThe state of Texas really tried to strip me of my right to bodily autonomy and reproductive freedom.\u2026I was fortunate to be able to overcome the many obstacles that the state put in place to harm me. But I know that&#8217;s not the reality for everyone.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The panelists also highlighted how important it is to humanize the stories of those affected by reproductive health policy restrictions, particularly people who are already marginalized.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Brown, an attending physician practicing obstetrics and gynecology at Women &amp; Infants Hospital of Rhode Island, described abortion bans as \u201cdefinitionally unjust.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cWe know that abortion bans disproportionately harm communities that have been historically marginalized and excluded because of racism, misogyny, transphobia, homophobia, classism,\u201d Brown said. \u201cAnd so, by definition when abortion gets banned, that burden is going to be unjust because it is going to fall on folks and on communities that have historically already suffered exclusion and oppression in our health care system.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Holder\u2019s organization \u2013 Reproductive Equity Now \u2013 changed its name and shifted to language like reproductive equity and reproductive justice, which more broadly describes the current landscape than \u201cchoice,\u201d which inaccurately suggests there is only one moment of choice. &nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cThis is not just a fight about abortion, abortion is what&#8217;s in the news right now, and it is what is being used as a political wedge issue,\u201d Holder said. \u201cReally it\u2019s about the full spectrum of reproductive health care and ensuring that everyone has equitable access.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Looking toward action, the panelists encouraged participants to donate money, get involved in policy work, and to lift up those who need help the most. &nbsp;&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cWhen we see this opinion, I hope all of you will be talking to your friends, neighbors and asking yourself, what can I do when Roe falls?\u201d Ayer said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Watch the full recording of <\/em><a href=\"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/sph\/public-health-conversations\/uncategorized\/roe-in-the-balance-the-future-of-reproductive-justice-in-the-united-states\/\"><em>Roe in the Balance: The Future of Reproductive Health in the United States<\/em><\/a><em>.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The anticipated US Supreme Court decision that is expected to overturn Roe v. Wade is about far more than just abortion, and the potential ramifications of the Dobbs v. Jackson Women\u2019s Health Organization ruling were the subject of a School of Public Health conversation on Thursday, June 9. Moderated by Nicole Huberfeld, Edward R. Utley [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":19512,"featured_media":212772,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"bu_prepress_billboard":"","_bu_prepress_primary_term":"Public Health Conversation","_bu_prepress_primary_term_manual":""},"tags":[2242,3420,3836,2547],"bu-publication":[3516],"sphnews-article-category":[3519,3531,3879,3541],"sphnews-topic":[3907],"bu_edition":[],"media_type":[],"profile_tax":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/sph\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/bu-article\/212733"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/sph\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/bu-article"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/sph\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/bu-article"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/sph\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/19512"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/sph\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=212733"}],"version-history":[{"count":17,"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/sph\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/bu-article\/212733\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":212917,"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/sph\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/bu-article\/212733\/revisions\/212917"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/sph\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/212772"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/sph\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=212733"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/sph\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=212733"},{"taxonomy":"bu-publication","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/sph\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/bu-publication?post=212733"},{"taxonomy":"sphnews-article-category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/sph\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/sphnews-article-category?post=212733"},{"taxonomy":"sphnews-topic","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/sph\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/sphnews-topic?post=212733"},{"taxonomy":"bu_edition","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/sph\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/bu_edition?post=212733"},{"taxonomy":"media_type","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/sph\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media_type?post=212733"},{"taxonomy":"profile_tax","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/sph\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/profile_tax?post=212733"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}