In the wake of Louisiana's abortion ban, pregnant women have been given risky, unnecessary surgeries, denied swift treatment for miscarriages and ectopic pregnancies, and forced to wait until their life is at risk before getting an abortion, according to a new report first made available to NPR.
It found doctors are using extreme caution to avoid even the appearance of providing an abortion procedure.
"We were stunned by just how much regular medical practice for pregnant people has been disrupted," said Michele Heisler, the medical director of Physicians for Human Rights and one of the report's authors.
The report draws on interviews with 30 health care providers and 13 patients conducted in 2023, and was jointly supported by four groups that support abortion access: Physicians for Human Rights, the Center for Reproductive Rights, Lift Louisiana and Reproductive Health Impact.
It's among the most comprehensive research to date showing abortion bans are changing pregnancy care and worsening maternal health. It concludes that Louisiana's ban is impeding a federal law that regulates the provision of emergency health care, and is infringing on reproductive and human rights.
"There are going to be deaths that didn't have to happen. There are going to be severe complications that didn't have to happen," said Dr. Nicole Freehill, a New Orleans OB-GYN interviewed for the report...................
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