Session: MP21: Diversity, Equity & Inclusion: Health Equity & Outcomes II
MP21-05: The Response for Reproductive Rights: An Evaluation of Medical Society Consensus Statements Following the Supreme Court Ruling on Dobbs V. Jackson Women's Health Organization
Introduction: The recent Supreme Court of the United States decision to overturn Roe v. Wade in the case of Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization has demonstrated the potential political impact and government interference in providing evidence based care within reproductive and fertility medicine. We aim to evaluate consensus statements from medical groups within the Council of Medical Specialty Societies (CMSS), and the American Urological Association (AUA) in response to the impact of this decision on medical care and reproductive rights. Methods: A total of 60 societal statements were collected from CMSS (N = 48) and the AUA (N = 12) after the Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization decision on June 24th, 2022. Statements were collected from either a society’s main website or social media posts. The strength of each statement was graded as “no position statement”, “moderate statement”, and “strong statement”. Moderate statements were categorized as denunciation of decision and provision of support for patients. Strong statements incorporated a call to action from legislation, physicians, or creation of a task force. Time from decision to statement was recorded and a qualitative evaluation of key words from each statement was performed through a word cloud. Results: Of the 60 societies, 29 (48.3%), 20 (33.3%), and 16 (26.7%) made no, moderate, or strong position statements, respectively (Figure 1). Average number of days until statement was 4.5, with 12 (33.3%) making a statement on day 0. 3 (25%) of AUA societies made a statement in comparison to 34 (71%) of CMSS. Patient-physician relationship (26 mentions), access to care (16 mentions), interference from government (11 mentions), and evidence-based care (10 mentions) were the most prominent key points (Figure 2). Conclusions: The recent ruling by the Supreme Court regarding Dobbs v. Women’s Health Organization has prompted a response by majority of the CMSS, most of which highlight the patient-physician relationship. SOURCE OF Funding: None
