Texas obstetrician-gynecologist leaves state

After the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, Texas joined the list of states that have passed highly restrictive abortion laws. The state has a near-total ban on abortion, making it a crime punishable by up to life in prison. The details of the ban encourage Texans to file lawsuits against health care providers. With exceptions in critical care cases, this change has created an area of ​​uncertainty for both physicians and patients. As a result, some obstetricians and gynecologists have fled the state or taken early retirement, and potential Texas residents are avoiding Texas altogether.

“A quiet sense of destiny”

A recent study by medical consulting firm Manatt Health found that the abortion law passed in Texas after the loss of Roe v. Wade “stressed the state’s already strained obstetrics and gynecology workforce.” “This threatens the pipeline of new doctors who could help with relief efforts.” ” said the Texas Tribune. More than 70% of obstetricians and gynecologists practicing in Texas feel that the near-total ban has “negatively affected their work by preventing them from providing high-quality, evidence-based care to their patients.” There is. A majority of obstetrics and gynecology residents said abortion laws weighed heavily in their decision to remain in Texas after completing their training. Nearly 15% of doctors surveyed said they planned to retire early, which could “further accelerate the state’s looming shortage of obstetricians and gynecologists.”

By 2030, the state is expected to have “15% fewer obstetricians and gynecologists than is needed to meet demand.” Many rural areas across the state are already “beginning to feel the effects of these shortages.” More than 45% of Texas counties are already considered “maternity care deserts,” meaning there are “no doctors to see during pregnancy and no place to give birth.”

Texas officials are not officially “tracking the exodus of doctors,” but there is a “quiet sense of doom” among practicing physicians, The New Yorker reported. Charles Brown, former Texas regional president of the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, said the pipeline is drying up and “there just won’t be enough people in this state to take care of women.”

“Patients don’t want confusing doctors.”

Research and anecdotal evidence among medical professionals has raised concerns about the long-term impact of these laws. Many local doctors have chosen to stay, but it’s understandable that new doctors might decide to go elsewhere, Houston obstetrician-gynecologist Todd Ivey told The Texas Tribune. The decline in new gynecologists coming to the state “is going to have a huge impact on women’s health,” Ivey said. I hope that the day will never come when women cannot have a Pap smear test, cannot have a breast cancer test, or cannot receive prenatal care.

Anitra Beasley, another obstetrician-gynecologist in Houston, said she and other doctors are bringing the fear of criminalization into the rooms with their patients. “It becomes less about the patient and their situation and more about me and my risk,” she says. Despite spending time researching Texas’ abortion regulations, she’s still unsure when the law will allow abortion intervention. “Patients don’t want a confusing doctor,” she says.

In the months since stricter abortion regulations were passed, “a new reality has begun for Texas obstetricians and gynecologists,” The New Yorker reported. Obstetrician-gynecologist Elissa Serapio told the magazine that the law “doesn’t guarantee that the right thing will be done.” Even after getting mandatory permission from lawyers and administrators, “we still don’t know if any anesthesiologist will agree to that.” At that point, “the person is bleeding and could die.”