Exploring the Impact of the Supreme Court Abortion Ruling on Health Access and Equity

STAT will launch a year-long examination of the far-reaching impacts of the Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe v. Wade on health care, the health system, and patients seeking reproductive health care. They will assign award-winning journalist Eric Boodman as a full-time reporter on this beat, and hire a part-time writer on contract and freelance photographers and videographers to produce a series of stories documenting the many ways state abortion restrictions and bans will ripple across the health system affecting access to health care, health equity, and maternal health outcomes. They will travel the country and delve into how women get needed care — the odysseys they endure to get abortions and other reproductive health care, such as for miscarriages or ectopic pregnancies, and even in vitro fertilization. Some potential lines of inquiry include the criminalization of miscarriage, the impact of medical mistrust, and the fragility of fertility care in a post-Roe environment.