No, OBGYNs aren’t fleeing pro-life states
[This article is a transcript of “No, OBGYNs aren’t fleeing pro-life states“ courtesy of volunteer Ben Tomlin. If you’re interested in volunteering to transcribe more of our content, please complete our volunteer survey.]
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A new study just came out looking at where OBGYNs choose to practice medicine after Dobbs compared to before Dobbs.
There were several articles, especially in early 2024, claiming that doctors are fleeing pro-life states for pro-choice ones and that it’s going to exacerbate maternity healthcare deserts and other problems. It appears that it is not the case.
They looked at over 60,000 OBGYNs and they found that the number didn’t change significantly across policy environments, meaning based on whether they had pro-life or pro-choice laws. They said:
There was no observed disproportionate changes in OBGYN practice locations as of 2024.
In fact, “the only statistically significant difference suggested that the share of physicians who are OBGYNs decreased less in threatened states,” meaning states with threats against abortion rights, “than in protected ones, opposite to the expected finding if OBGYNs were leaving states where abortion is threatened.”
In other words, there’s no evidence that doctors are fleeing pro-life states because they’re afraid of abortion bans.
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