A lack of trust toward medical organizations, or “medical mistrust,” is a barrier to safe and timely health care, especially for Black, Latinx and immigrant patients. It can result in missed appointments and delayed procedures, which in turn lead to higher risks of adverse health incidents and potential death.
And now, as abortion bans are set to go in effect in 22 states if Roe v. Wade is overturned, this mistrust will increase and, along with it, the danger to people who can get pregnant.
In the early 1960s, my grandmother went to her physician in New York and asked for an abortion. Like most people seeking abortions, she already had children and was concerned about finances, especially because she had only been in the United States for a year. She didn’t understand the horrified look on the doctor’s face. Abortion was available in Istanbul, Turkey, where she had emigrated from, even though it was not officially legalized until 1983.
