Fear and ambiguity of post-Roe laws are causing doctors to turn away patients

Without the constitutional protections for abortion that Roe once provided for the entire country, each state now has its own patchwork of laws regarding abortion. And at this point in time, less than a month after the Supreme Court’s decision on Dobbs, many states are still trying to figure out for themselves what laws are actually in effect. There’s a lot of uncertainty and that’s resulting in denials and delays in care. “There’s so much fear out there,” says Irin Carmon, a Senior Correspondent at New York Magazine. “The time people are spending worrying about whether they’re in compliance with these laws is delaying emergency care to people who become gravely ill.” That’s the chilling effect that Roe’s reversal is having on health care providers and patients alike – and that’s the point. “These laws are not written this way by accident,” she tells Sam Stein.