Sound the alarm over THIS

| 7:00 pm EST November 26, 2023
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States that have instituted abortion bans in a post-Roe world have opened a Pandora’s box. Not only are such states refusing to trust women to make informed decisions about their own body and placing their lives at risk, but they are failing women in other disturbing ways.

Idaho, which has had a near-total abortion ban since August 2022, is a prime example. As with other such states, Idaho has seen an exodus or early retirement of OB-GYNs. This development has led to an additional problem, which is a lack of screening patients for domestic abuse. OB-GYNs are typically the first, if not the only, doctors to learn if a patient is suffering at the hands of a violent partner, according to a report from The 19th.

Both the federal government and the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) recommend that physicians screen women for signs that they may be experiencing violence at home, according to the report. Also, polls show that patients are more likely to disclose personal information with their OB-GYNs. However, far fewer providers are now screening for domestic abuse in Idaho, making it more difficult for people to come forward for help.

Another harmful consequence of Idaho’s abortion ban is a lack of maternity care for pregnant women (regardless of whether they want an abortion). Women who can’t access hospitals with obstetrics care are more likely to experience preterm birth and risk asthma, hearing loss, intellectual disabilities and more, according to a report from NBC News.

When the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, Idaho Republican Gov. Brad Little insisted that everyone should “absolutely… come together like never before to support women and teens facing unexpected or unwanted pregnancies.” However, Idaho has since disbanded a committee that investigated the root causes of maternal death, failed to expand postpartum Medicaid coverage, and rejected federal grants for child care, according to an investigation by ProPublica.

The situation in Idaho is a tragic advertisement of what can happen when a draconian abortion ban meets Republican “leadership.” Nowhere in America should women be treated with such shockingly little dignity, first denying them rights, then failing to make good on promises of basic support. The GOP keeps finding new ways to fail.