28/06/2023
Can pregnant people in Oklahoma get accurate information about emergency abortion care? Together with our partners Oklahoma Call for Reproductive Justice
and Physicians for Reproductive Health, we carried out a study of hospitals in Oklahoma to find out, asking each facility what their policies are in the case of emergency pregnancy care. The findings are gravely concerning. Here’s what we found:
🔴 Not a single hospital reached could articulate clear policies for emergency abortion care that supports the ability to make decisions based on a physician’s judgment and a pregnant patient’s preferences and needs.
🔴 Physicians are forced into a situation of “dual loyalty” where they must balance their obligation to provide ethical medical care against the threat of government prosecution or possibility of losing their license.
🔴 Some answers our researchers heard when they asked about hospital policy:
➡️ “If the situation is truly life-threatening, decisions will be made”— without context of how they would be made or by whom.
➡️ “It is tricky because of state laws, but we will not let the mom die”.
➡️ “Nowhere in the state of Oklahoma can you get an abortion for any reason”— even though the state ban has exceptions.
These findings raise grave concerns about the ability of a pregnant person in Oklahoma—and the other 11 states with similar bans—to receive necessary information to make decisions about their medical care, and the ability of such patients to receive medically-necessary treatment. Pregnant people deserve to access clear, consistent information about their health and rights.
Read the full report:
https://reproductiverights.org/oklahoma-hospitals-abortion-study/?fbclid=IwAR01lWXsx-7XnxidyNHreYd76X-1PXH7K4SU134fWuanNj3c0Au0Z3kiR1A
Report by the Center, Physicians for Human Rights, and Oklahoma Call for Reproductive Justice raises concerns about pregnant patients’ ability to access life-saving obstetric care in states where abortion is banned. Report by the Center, Physicians for Human Rights, and Oklahoma Call for Reproduct...
