Portland, Oregon — A gynecologist who moved from Idaho to Oregon has spoken out about how Roe v. Wade’s reversal has affected physicians and patients in areas with and without abortion restrictions.
On Tuesday morning, the Senate Committee on Finance convened a hearing to discuss how the Supreme Court’s decision to allow states to set their own abortion rules has resulted in changes in health care.
Idaho, for example, has banned practically all abortions, except rape, incest, and cases when a doctor determines a patient will die while attempting to give birth.
Committee Chairman and Democratic Oregon Sen. Ron Wyden claimed that policies like these have resulted in injuries, exacerbated health conditions, or death for pregnant women who have been denied emergency medical attention in several jurisdictions.
He further said that the ruling has compelled attorneys to behave as doctors and doctors to function as lawyers, as both sides struggle to interpret the law.
Amelia Huntsberger, a medical practitioner who lived in rural Idaho for 11 years before relocating to Eugene, shared her experience.
“It was essential for me to be able to provide the health care that my parents needed without government interference,” Huntsberger told the press. “As [Democratic Washington Sen. Maria Cantwell] alluded to, the challenging circumstances that both pregnant parents and doctors find themselves in in Idaho puts everyone at risk.”
She also stated that Idaho’s pre-existing maternity care desert has been aggravated by the current abortion bans.
On the other side, Christina Francis, CEO of the American Association of Pro-Life Obstetricians and Gynecologists, claimed that any confusion among attorneys or doctors was caused by “dangerous political rhetoric” from “pro-abortion politicians and media.”
Sen. Maria Cantwell responded by arguing that the impact of the Dobbs judgment is due to “real-life facts,” not rhetoric. Earlier this year, the senator co-led a report on the impact of the verdict.
She claims that one out of every five OB/GYNs in Idaho has departed owing to the state’s abortion rules.