A National Survey of OBGYNs’ Experiences After Dobbs

Newswise — One year ago, the Supreme Court’s decision in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization overturned Roe v. Wade and opened the door for states to ban or severely restrict the availability of abortion care. Today, people seeking abortion in large swaths of the country must travel to other states to get abortion services or obtain medication abortion through self-managed or other means. In many states, abortion is not banned, but laws impose gestational limits and other restrictions that limit access to abortion. This has left large parts of the U.S., particularly in the South and Southeast, without meaningful abortion access. In the states where abortion remains available under most circumstances, abortion providers have had to take on additional patients traveling to their states to get an abortion. Furthermore, the situation in many states remains uncertain, with new bans being implemented that are often followed by legal challenges creating a complicated landscape to navigate for patients and clinicians, particularly those who provide services to pregnant people.

To understand the impact of the changing abortion landscape on clinical care, KFF conducted a nationally representative survey of office-based OBGYNs practicing in the United States who spend the majority of their working hours (60% or more) in direct patient care and provide sexual and reproductive health care to at least 10% of patients. The survey was fielded from March 17 to May 18, 2023, and responses were received from 569 OBGYNs. This survey examines the provision of sexual and reproductive health care provided by OBGYNs before and after the Dobbs decision, comparing the experiences of OBGYNs practicing in states where abortion is fully banned, states with gestational restrictions, and states where abortion remains available under most circumstances. All differences highlighted in the text of this report are statistically significant.