Abortion restrictions have a negative impact on cancer care

In 2022, the US Supreme Court overturned a landmark court ruling known as Roe vs Wade, which constitutionally protected abortion rights for nearly 50 years. There was a continued reduction in applicants to medical residency programmes located in states with abortion bans 2 years after the 2022 Supreme Court ruling, according to analysis conducted earlier this year by the Association of American Medical Colleges Research and Action Institute. “Abortion bans force physicians to choose between providing safe, medically indicated care and protecting themselves from potential criminal punishment, civil liability, and loss of licensure”, Rebecca B Reingold (O'Neill Institute for National and Global Health Law, Georgetown University Law Center, Washington, DC, USA) told The Lancet Oncology.