Just Maintaining the Status Quo is Hard

Whatever one's views on abortion, there's no question that its reduced availability has made it riskier to be an obstetrician gynecologist who has to worry about running afoul of the law, even if he or she strives to be compliant.

Surveying the legal landscape, medical students may decide that being an OB/GYN is too tough because of regulatory requirements. The coming decline in the number of doctors who provide pregnancy, childbirth, and women's health services (not abortion) is probably not what pro-life lawmakers intended.

Now comes another blow: Hospitals Shutter Maternity Wards Amid Falling Birthrates

The closures are broadening a swath of America without maternity units, commonly communities that are sparsely populated or aging. The trend threatens to worsen infant health and maternal death rates that have hit the highest level in decades.

Hospitals that are closing maternity units said they can’t recruit enough staff to safely operate. Hospitals with fewer births are less attractive to doctors and nurses, executives said. Births at OSF HealthCare St. James-John W. Albrecht Medical Center in Illinois declined to 120 last year from 184 in 2019.

It's a sad state of affairs in 21st century America that, whether a woman wants to see through or terminate her pregnancy, she has to travel a greater distance to ensure a healthy outcome for herself.