The following post was written by Jenna Beckham, MD, MSPH, FACOG, a practicing OB/GYN and Board Chair of Pro-Choice North Carolina Foundation
With the 2024 election behind us, I know more and more patients in my OBGYN practice will feel increasingly pressured by politics when making their healthcare decisions. From seeking surgical sterilization to accessing contraception and gender affirming surgery, the tense political climate before the election was already influencing their personal healthcare decisions in profound ways. I even had conversations with patients who want to be pregnant, but fear a lack of options should complications arise during their pregnancy where they may want or need to access abortion care, causing them to decide to delay or avoid pregnancy altogether.
My patients are acutely aware that the outcome of this election will likely further alter their access to healthcare services and options for care, although they are not sure when. This uncertainty and resultant anxiety are creating pressure on them to seek certain aspects of reproductive and gender affirming care, as they deeply fear that their options may soon be limited or entirely unavailable. Patients are describing feelings of fear and even panic about the possibility of not accessing certain aspects of care as a result of the election, particularly at the federal level.
This experience is not unique to my patients. A recent publication in the Journal of the American Medical Association showed an increase in patients seeking surgical sterilization in the six months after the June Supreme Court Dobbs decision, with the most pronounced increase in states with abortion bans in place. A total of 41 states have abortion bans in effect and 25 states have restrictions on gender-affirming care. Many of my patients feel afraid that the outcome of the election will result in further restrictions or limitations on access to care, and therefore, feel an extreme sense of urgency to be seen, have contraceptive devices like IUDs or implants inserted, and/or to have surgery.
As we assess the outcome of the election at the federal and state levels, healthcare providers must recognize the profound impact that politics and the media environment has on our patients and their healthcare decisions. We must advocate for policies that safeguard access to comprehensive reproductive care and medically accurate information, including access to contraception, IVF, and abortion, as well as gender-affirming care, ensuring that all patients can make informed decisions without the added pressure of politics.
The majority of voters in North Carolina and across the country believe that healthcare should be free from political interference, and advocates, including medical professionals, must continue to work to make that fundamental value a reality. Reproductive freedom, still a key issue for many voters, envisions a world of empowered individuals who make choices that are right for them, free from fear and coercion, and free from government interference. Patients make these personal decisions based on many reasons, but personal politics is not usually a factor. It’s past time for elected officials to stop playing politics with our patients’ lives.