Post-Dobbs: Impacts in every state

Senator Maria Cantwell, colleagues release report showing Dobbs’ nation-wide impacts on healthcare 

WASHINGTON, D.C. (July 15, 2024) — Longer wait times, fewer and fewer healthcare workers, and onerous travel for care are just some of the impacts reviewed in a new Senate report detailing the impacts of the Dobbs decision on healthcare access across the United States. These impacts are felt strongly in states that outlaw or heavily restrict abortion, but the ripple effects are impacting working people in states without such laws, as well.

“At least 23 million women of reproductive age nationwide live in states with abortion bans. That’s 23 million women who won’t have access to care if they become pregnant and need to have an abortion,” Sen. Cantwell said in previewing the report at a press conference Tuesday. “Women … are in life threatening situations and are being denied access to care.”

This report is based off interviews with more than 80 healthcare workers and advocates, including those here in Washington State, which has seen an influx of out-of-state patients as abortion bans in Idaho, Texas and elsewhere make accessing reproductive care risky or impossible. It details the cascading impacts of anti-abortion interference in healthcare access, from loss of healthcare practitioners, interruptions to prenatal care, fear around seeking care, and strain on reproductive healthcare in states without extreme bans.

“In states like Idaho with extreme abortion bans, we are seeing health care providers closing their doors and shutting down their practices, new doctors staying away, and fewer options for patients to get a whole range of necessary health care services,” said Senator Patty Murray. “The consequences of the Dobbs decision extend far beyond abortion—and they are putting a severe strain on health care systems everywhere, including in Washington state.”

Healthcare workers in Washington and elsewhere have been sounding the alarm on dangerous short staffing across the profession. As more patients travel to Washington for care, the stress on our understaffed system continues to grow. For both healthcare workers and community members who rely on their services, Dobbs is having serious, negative impacts across the United States.