International Safe Abortion Day: September 28, 2022 By: Christina Davidson, MD The SMFM Patient Safety & Quality Committee invites you to join the World Health Organization, the International Campaign for Women’s Right to Safe Abortion, and September28.org in activities surrounding International Safe Abortion Day. This Day of Action for Access to Safe and Legal Abortion has its origin 2 decades ago in Latin America and the Caribbean, where women’s groups began mobilizing around September 28 to demand their governments decriminalize abortion, provide access to safe and affordable abortion ..read more

By:  Erika F. Werner, MD, MS  As we await the Supreme Court's decision in the Dobbs v Jackson Women’s Health Organization case that is expected to dramatically change access to medical care in the U.S., I am grateful to serve at an institution that has publicly voiced its support for and commitment to health equity and access to evidence-based reproductive health care.   As Lisa Harris, MD noted in a recent New England Journal of Medicine commentary, the highly politicized nature of abortion care in this country can make it difficult for institutions to thoughtfully remark ..read more

By: Jessian Muñoz, MD, PhD, MPH Taking care of patients and protecting reproductive rights in Texas has never been a more difficult task. The passage of SB8, resulted in the most restrictive policies on abortion care seen, patients from all spheres of the community have been directly impacted. As we come to terms with these restrictions, we fear and look forward to December 1, 2021.   On December 1, the Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS) will hear oral arguments in the case of Dobbs v Jackson Women’s Health Organization. This is poised to be the high-profile argument of ..read more

By: Leilah Zahedi-Spung, MD, FACOG I introduce myself and watch your eyes scan over my large belly. I try to suppress my guilt. You smile through your tears at the sight of me. I sit down quietly and offer a hand and tissues. You ask me if I judge you, of course not. You ask me if they’ll forgive you, there’s nothing to forgive. You’ve chosen the path of least suffering for them and most for you. You are the ultimate mother. We listen one last time. Stillness and peace. I offer you a hug, my belly in the way. You tell me congratulations through your grief. Your grace lifts my heart and we bo ..read more

By: Janelle Bolden, MD This week is Black Maternal Health Week and it couldn’t be a more important time to highlight the concerns regarding Black mothers. I am Black. I am a mom. I am also a Maternal Fetal Medicine (MFM) physician. I know firsthand the dire situation we are in. As an MFM I care for patients with complicated pregnancies, whether these be high risk fetal or maternal conditions. Black pregnant patients have higher rates of many poor pregnancy outcomes, including preterm birth, preeclampsia, and fetal growth restriction, to name a few. I practice in Chicago, Illinois and maternal ..read more

By: Mae Winchester, MD The exact same day that I diagnosed Trisomy 13 in a highly desired first pregnancy was the same day I learned that a dangerous piece of legislation, inappropriately known as the “Value Them Both Act,” was moving quickly through the Kansas state legislature. The family, who I’ll call John and Jane, had asked about the fetus’ medical prognosis (extremely poor), life expectancy (average of 7-10 days if born alive), ability to connect with the outside world (probably poor), and potential quality of life (probably poor). Jane sobbed uncontrollably, in that body-shaking and ..read more

By: Megan Lord, MD I recently took care of a pregnant woman - we will call her Rosa - who had emigrated to the United States from Central America. In a previous pregnancy, disaster had struck. The fetus had abnormal kidneys, which could not make urine. Amniotic fluid is mostly fetal urine and is needed to help the fetal lungs develop. Thus if a fetus has kidneys that do not function, they often develop lungs that do not function. Despite all of the wonders of modern medicine, nothing could be done that would allow this fetus to survive outside of the womb. He was delivered alive and died six ..read more

By: Elise Boos, MD, MSc, Fellow at Physicians for Reproductive Health I come from a large Cajun Catholic family in Louisiana – a boisterous, flood-resistant, costuming bunch who are experts at navigating the water ways and the streets of New Orleans by bike when parades make driving impossible. We all got married in Catholic Churches, as was expected, but on Sundays when the Saints have a noon game, no one goes to Church at all. We are a political grab bag in a liberal city nestled in a conservative state. At family functions, the cars in the driveway speak to the ability of the family bond t ..read more

By: Stephen T. Chasen, MD As a Maternal-Fetal Medicine (MFM) physician and abortion provider in New York City, I am used to providing necessary care for my patients who require abortion. For my patient population, this typically occurs following prenatal diagnosis of fetal abnormalities or due to medical complications during pregnancy. I have also taken care of women from states with very restrictive laws who had to travel long distances to access abortion care. I am fortunate to live and practice in a community that is very supportive of reproductive rights, and I have been able to advocate ..read more

By: Megan Savage, MD My patient – let’s call her Cara – presented to the emergency department at 18 weeks gestation and was quickly taken to the cardiac intensive care unit. Her heart was barely functioning, and continuing pregnancy would have led to severe complications that would put Cara’s life at risk. Due to the immediate danger, she underwent an emergent, medically indicated dilation and evacuation. After her breathing tube was removed five days later, she thanked our team for saving her life. But this is not where Cara’s story begins. I first saw Cara at her eight-week prenatal appoint ..read more