There is a broad consensus in the medical community that abortion is an essential part of reproductive health care. Per a statement released by ACOG in 2019, “Pregnancy imposes significant physiological changes on a person’s body. These changes can exacerbate underlying or preexisting conditions, like renal or cardiac disease, and can severely compromise health or even cause death. There are situations where pregnancy termination in the form of an abortion is the only medical intervention that can preserve a patient’s health or save their life. As physicians, we are focused on protecting the health and lives of the patients for whom we provide care. Without question, abortion can be medically necessary.”

One clear consequence is how this will affect the education of young doctors. If doctors training in more restrictive states are not able to learn how to treat all aspects of reproductive care, it will create knowledge deserts that could raise maternal mortality rates even further. 

There are also concerns being raised about what this might mean for people who can get pregnant and their ability to receive teratogenic medications–those that can cause miscarriage in the process of treating the disease–even if they are not pregnant at the time. Just the possibility that they could potentially become pregnant, and miscarry because of the medication, may lead doctors to avoid treatment, particularly in areas that criminalize miscarriage/abortion.