Advancing birth equity in a post-Dobbs US

Abstract

The US Supreme Court’s decision in Dobbs v Jackson Women’s Health Organization eliminates federally protected access to abortion services. Comprehensive reproductive health care is now subjugated to state regulations that range from complete prohibition of abortion to no care restrictions. Abortion access and birth equity are firmly linked,¹ and the Dobbs ruling will have significant consequences for birth equity by eroding access to abortion care and limiting bodily autonomy. Health policy makers and health care professionals and centers must take this opportunity to build and promote a federal policy agenda that centers birth equity and reproductive justice. This Viewpoint discusses how the Dobbs decision is part of a larger set of policies that threaten birth equity and describes a way forward that can help guarantee reproductive freedom and autonomy.