A survey of 38 of Georgia’s OB-GYNs found that nearly half of doctors participating said they have personally encountered cases where care had to be delayed, causing death or health complications for the mother, as a result of ambiguity in the state’s abortion law.
The survey, done by the American College of Obstetrics and Gynecology in conjunction with Democratic U.S. Sen. Jon Ossoff, aimed to get a collection of narratives on the impacts of Georgia’s abortion law. Ossoff, who’s wife is an OB-GYN, has called for Georgia’s law to be repealed, saying it “strips women of autonomy in the most personal health decisions.”
Doctors said the way the law is worded has made it difficult for them to do their jobs.
Dr. Nisha Verma, an OB-GYN with Emory Healthcare, said Georgia doctors already had to maneuver through tough pregnancy situations because of restrictions in place before the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, the 1973 ruling that guaranteed the nationwide right to an abortion.
But a majority of the doctors who responded to the survey said Georgia’s abortion law has made it increasingly difficult for doctors to care for patients who are experiencing pregnancy complications, she said.
“We are having to try to navigate laws that are written by nonmedical folks that don’t actually reflect the practice of medicine,” she said. “It is trying to take the very complex and nuanced practice of medicine and put it into these black-and-white laws that just don’t work.
“That creates confusion and an inability, in a lot of cases, to provide the care that we know is the right thing to do based on medical training,” Verma said.
Georgia law bans most abortions once a doctor can detect fetal cardiac activity, which typically occurs around six weeks of pregnancy and before many know they are pregnant. It includes exceptions in instances of rape or incest when a police report has been filed. There also are exceptions if there is a fetal abnormality or if the life of the mother is at risk.
Supporters of the law say the exceptions are clear as outlined and there is no need to make any changes.
Claire Bartlett, executive director of anti-abortion group Georgia Life Alliance, pointed to guidance issued by the Department of Public Health last year explaining what is and isn’t allowed under state law.
The guidance was published shortly after news reports of a Georgia woman who died in 2022 of complications from an abortion when doctors reportedly waited 20 hours before acting.
“The medical community should be very well-informed at this point in time,” she said. “With all due respect and high regard for our medical providers, if they are not informed by now, it comes across as political or willful.”
Of the 38 doctors who responded to the survey sent out by ACOG, 30 said they think the abortion law negatively impacts women’s health, and 18 said they personally experienced instances where delays caused harm to pregnant women.
About 45% of the respondents — 17 doctors — were from urban parts of the state. Another 16 doctors, or 42%, were from suburban areas. Five, or 13%, were from rural Georgia. The doctors had experience ranging from three to 35 years of practice.
For the past few years, Ossoff has held educational hearings to learn about the impacts of Georgia’s abortion law. The first-term senator is up for reelection next year.
About the Author
Keep Reading
The Latest
Featured
