A recent survey spearheaded by U.S. Sen. Jon Ossoff has stirred concerns among Georgia's OB-GYN community about the consequences of the state's restrictive abortion law. Conducted with the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG), the survey sheds light on the complications arising due to the law, which bans most abortions after around six weeks of pregnancy. FOX 5 Atlanta reports that more than a dozen OB-GYNs from Georgia recounted instances of complications or delayed care, some of which resulted in severe injury or even death. As per their accounts, the stringent law has led to patients being turned away during miscarriages, and doctors having to wait until a patient's health worsens before they could legally intervene.
Nearly half of the 38 responding doctors to the survey admitted to personally witnessing cases where the law's ambiguity necessitated care delays, risking the mothers' health. This has culminated in harmful delays for pregnant women. Dr. Nisha Verma, an OB-GYN with Emory Healthcare said in a statement obtained by the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, "We are having to try to navigate laws that are written by nonmedical folks that don’t actually reflect the practice of medicine. 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."
The law, which includes exceptions for situations involving rape, incest, fetal abnormalities, or the mother's life being at risk, has been defended by its proponents, citing the clarity of its stipulations. Against the backdrop of these defenses, the Department of Public Health released guidance to clarify the law's implementation following a case where a woman died due to abortion complications after a prolonged wait for medical intervention. Claire Bartlett, the executive director of the anti-abortion group Georgia Life Alliance, argued that medical providers should be well-informed at this stage, and suggested that further confusion might be politically motivated or intentional.
The survey reflects concerns from many healthcare professionals, with 30 of 38 respondents saying the law harms women's health. Eighteen OB-GYNs reported cases where delays caused by the law led to patient harm. These doctors, with experience ranging from 3 to 35 years, come from urban, suburban, and rural areas across Georgia.
Senator Ossoff, married to an OB-GYN and due for reelection next year, has been championing the cause for a better understanding of the law's impact. Over the past few years, he has held educational hearings on the topic. His campaign for reform is rooted in the real-world narratives provided by healthcare professionals who battle daily with the implications of a law that they argue, fails the very women it claims to protect.
