Abortion bans could leave close to half of U.S. obstetrics residents with inadequate training

Abortion-rights demonstrator Jessica Smith in front of the Hamilton County Court House in Chattanooga, Tenn. On Tuesday, a federal court allowed Tennessee’s ban on abortion as early as six weeks into pregnancy to take effect, citing the Supreme Court’s decision last week to overturn the landmark Roe v. Wade abortion rights case. (Ben Margot / AP)

Among the ripple effects of the Supreme Court’s overturning of Roe v. Wade, nearly half of the nation’s medical residents in obstetrics and gynecology are certain or likely to lack access to in-state abortion training.

That raises questions about how those programs can be accredited when a procedure required to be taught is illegal where they are based.