WASHINGTON — A patchwork of state laws in the aftermath of a Supreme Court decision overturning the right to an abortion, combined with pandemic-related burnout and low reimbursement rates, could exacerbate an already looming national shortage of obstetrician-gynecologists, experts say.
Medical students say that given the Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization decision overturning Roe v. Wade, they must consider a landscape of rapidly changing abortion legislation, with litigation often making it difficult to determine what is legal where.
Typically “physicians do not go to medical school and go into the practice of medicine because we enjoy interfacing with the legal profession,” said Katie McHugh, an Indiana-based obstetrician-gynecologist and board member with Physicians for Reproductive Health.
The OB-GYN shortage comes at a critical moment: In 2021, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention documented gains in cesarean delivery, preterm birth rates and low birth weights, all of which can increase other health risks and require specialized care.
As the first class of post-Dobbs medical students prepares to be matched to OB-GYN residency programs on Friday, preliminary 2023 data from the American Association of Medical Colleges shows that the average number of applications per obstetrics and gynecology residency program fell from 663 in 2022 to 650 in 2023.
A CQ Roll Call analysis found that 84 obstetrics and gynecology residency programs of 299, or 28%, accredited by the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education are based in states or territories enforcing pre-viability bans on abortion.
While regional applicant data is not available, in interviews some students expressed reluctance toward training in states with abortion bans that could affect their scope of medical training.
Isiah Romo, a fourth-year medical student at the University of Arizona College of Medicine who hopes to match in an obstetrics and gynecology program this year, said he applied to a number of programs but did not consider any in states where he would be unable to get abortion training.
He said while the ramifications of last summer’s Dobbs decision may make the field less attractive to some people, it solidified his interest. Still, he said, “it’s probably causing a lot of other people to not apply, which just creates even further gaps for the people who need the care.”
Maternity care deserts
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