It is with heavy hearts that we learned of the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision in the case of Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization. This decision overturns the precedence set by Roe v. Wade and Planned Parenthood v. Casey which established the right of individuals to have an abortion. This decision also undermines the patient-physician relationship and the evidence-based practice of medicine.
Our department of Gynecology & Obstetrics has been invested in clinical care, education, research, and advocacy in reproductive health for nearly a century and so we share the full range of emotions you are likely feeling currently. Although this decision threatens the autonomy of our patients and of ourselves, it does not change who we are: healthcare professionals committed to providing excellent, safe, ethical healthcare to all our patients. Now, more than ever, we must work as a team to maximize the patient care, training, research, and advocacy we are able to provide at this time.
We acknowledge that this is a complex issue and members of our community have a wide variety of personal beliefs. We also know that when abortion care is restricted, the health risks associated with pregnancy increase, the quality of abortion care and other pregnancy care suffers, patients and their families experience negative social outcomes, and health and social inequities are exacerbated.
Today, abortion remains legal in Georgia up to 22 weeks gestational age.
Georgia House Bill 481 (2019), which bans abortion after approximately 6 weeks gestational age, is currently enjoined and is not in effect. However, with the federal protections removed by this new ruling from the Supreme Court, it is possible that the Federal Court of Appeals could rule to uphold House Bill 481, resulting in abortion being restricted beyond 6 weeks gestational age in our state within the next several weeks.
The Supreme Court ruling and HB 481 do not impact our ability to provide:
- Abortion didactic and simulation education
- Care for early pregnancy loss, pregnancy of unknown location, or ectopic pregnancy
- Pregnancy options counseling
- Early abortion and telemedicine for abortion care
- All methods of contraception, including emergency contraception
- Advanced reproductive technologies
- Postabortion care and management of complications
- Abortion research and data-based advocacy efforts
As we join together to withstand this monumental change and weather the uncertainty of the weeks ahead, we ask that you remain strong in your support of your patients, your colleagues, your trainees, and your personal integrity as healthcare professionals. We are proud to stand with you in this effort.
“The arc of the moral universe is long, but it bends toward justice.” – Martin Luther King Jr.
Denise J. Jamieson, MD, MPH
James Robert McCord Professor & Chair
Department of Gynecology & Obstetrics
Carrie Cwiak, MD, MPH
Director, Division of Complex Family Planning
Department of Gynecology and Obstetrics