Researchers have shown that physicians’ fear of providing abortion care that runs afoul of these laws is high, even when following the standard of medical care for preserving a patient’s life.5 Yet, despite threats of criminal penalties and the uncertainty and moral distress that has come with confusing wording and variation among state laws, the national number of abortions has not declined after Dobbs. On the contrary, people are still seeking abortions, clinicians are performing aborti...
