How to be an advocate for your patients in a post-Roe era

Angela Dempsey, MD, MPH:

I'm Angela Dempsey, MD MPH, and I am the board president for Society of Family Planning. Can you give a quick recap of your session you presented at the 2023 Society of OB/GYN Hospitalists Annual Clinical Meeting?

Contemporary OB/GYN:

Can you recap your session you presented at the 2023 Society of OB/GYN Hospitalists Annual Clinical Meeting?

Dempsey:

So, what we talked about today really highlighted that even prior to the overturn of Roe v Wade, the inequities in a person's ability to access abortion care, were already drastically different based on where they live. And now, with the Dobbs ruling in June of 2022, there is an even more confusing patchwork of legal restrictions that make it really difficult, not only for patients to access care, but for physicians to meet the needs of patients depending on where they live.

Contemporary OB/GYN:

How has your practice changed in this post-Roe world?

Dempsey:

Since legal restrictions in my home state of South Carolina, which I think mirrors what many ob-gyns are facing across the country. Things that are really different are the discussions that we're having within our department, with consultant physicians, how to make decisions to interpret legal definitions that don't match up with medical definitions, and just having to involve a legal representative from my hospital into patient care decisions is a big intrusion and a big difference from prior to the Dobbs decision.

Contemporary OB/GYN:

What do you think the future will look like as providers try to nagivate this post-Roe world.

Dempsey:

A big part of what we talked about today is that a part of the solution is for ob-gyns, regardless of the setting in which they practice, to really take a deep look at how abortion restrictions are impacting patients that they care for in whatever setting they're caring for them. And step into their role as both an expert and a leader and an advocate, to raise awareness about the impact that these laws have on patients and the nuances of patient care, share it with their patients, their patients, families, people who vote, colleagues, and staff, to think about how to share and represent the patient's voice and patient's experience to leaders at their hospitals or within their institutions. And to take it a step further and think about who makes policy at their state level for Medicaid or other insurers And who makes policy in their state house. And how can they bring their experience in the patient care setting, and really represent the true impact of what these laws are doing to patients to those folks, so that we can move forward and hopefully live in a world where patients have better access to care.

Contemporary OB/GYN:

What is the biggest takeaway from your presentation?

Dempsey:

For folks who are interested in getting more involved, there are a lot of resources out there, some of the ones that I highlighted today in my session, our Society of Family Planning is clinical guidance, which is available to all without a paywall on our website. There are wonderful resources on ACOG, who hosts a page called abortion as essential health care that has lots of tools for physicians who might want to get more involved in advocacy. And then there is Physicians for Reproductive Health who can really help physicians who want to elevate their voice and their expertise as an advocate.