Opinion: Brain drain, skills loss, and other unintended consequences of overturning Roe v. Wade
Every day at the Kansas clinic where I perform abortions, I take care of pregnant people who have driven 10 hours or more across state lines for their procedures. They’re exhausted after moving mountains to get there: taking time off work, arranging child care, gathering funds. They’re excessively grateful, and their gratitude makes me sad. These are the lucky ones, I think. These are the few that have managed to get here.
My experiences caring for these patients are not unique. Over the past year, my colleagues and I at “The Nocturnists,” a health care worker storytelling podcast, have been interviewing abortion providers across the country for our new series “Post-Roe America,” which debuts Thursday. What really surprised me in all these interviews were the unintended consequences of the Dobbs decision, consequences that are just starting to emerge but will affect lives for decades to come.
