SFMMS Statement in Response to Supreme Court Decision Overturning Roe v. Wade June 24, 2022 Advocacy 0 On Friday, June 24th, 2022, the Supreme Court of the United States overturned the federal constitutional protections on abortion rights determined by its 1973 decision, Roe v. Wade. It is expected that 13 states will ban abortion immediately or very quickly, and 11 could restrict access, affecting access to vital care for up to 69 million Americans. The number of women for whom their closest clinic providing abortion services is located in California could increase from 46,000 to 1.4 million, with potential implications for California's safety net and access to care for all Californians. Organized medicine is united, from national, to state, to county, as a matter of policy: the decision about whether to have an abortion is a decision that should be made between a woman and her doctor. The Supreme Court’s decision enables political interference by states in the physician-patient relationship. SFMMS is working with the San Francisco Bar Association and others to understand how best to protect from lawsuits the women who travel to California from out-of-state seeking an abortion, and the physicians who provide those abortions. SFMMS has been fighting for reproductive rights for decades (you can find examples here) and we'll never stop fighting to protect our physician members and their patients. We pledge that SFMMS will continue to partner with local and state legislators to protect women’s reproductive rights, including access to abortion services; the physician-patient relationship; the right to privacy; and the practice of an evidence-based medicine that is free from political interference. We will fight for our values together. In solidarity, Michael Schrader, MD President, San Francisco Marin Medical Society Heyman Oo, MD President-Elect, San Francisco Marin Medical Society Monique Schaulis, MD Immediate Past-President, San Francisco Marin Medical Society Comments are closed.
