In its decision to overturn Roe v. Wade — which means abortion may now be banned in almost half the country — the Supreme Court made a catastrophic decision. As someone who studies the effects of access to abortion, I can say that denying someone a wanted abortion causes real, lasting harm to them and their families.
I led the Turnaway Study, a nationwide study of what happens to women when they receive or are denied an abortion. Over a decade, my colleagues and I interviewed nearly 1,000 women who sought abortions from 30 facilities around the country. Based on these findings, we know not having control over the timing and circumstances of birth changes the whole trajectory of that person's life, making it harder, and for those who are already struggling, even worse.
