Yes, this is where abortion truly goes from a “political” issue to a medical issue & it is what concerns me as well. Those who insist it is always a political issue ignore that women will die in situations where they didn’t even want an abortion, but truly needed one. Those arguing that there are exceptions for risk of life to the mother I have never seen that quantified - 1% risk of death? 25%? 50%? When is it enough of a risk to justify abortion to those who think that is the only exception? And how long does the woman who is potentially bleeding to death need to wait around while that decision is made? Who gets to make that decision? I am pro-choice for any reason, but as I said upthread those with wherewithal, including many if not most college students, can travel in non-emergent situations. It is the emergent situations that scare me from a medical view (curtailing women’s rights scares me from a political view which is a whole separate ballgame). Those who insist this is all about politics are missing the very real medical ramifications.
Yes, those are all good points, but do not pertain much to traditional college-age women, who are highly unlikely to have any of the risk factors for ectopic pregnancy (most probably have not had IVF, or tubal ligation, or fertility treatments, or extensive STD damage, a history of severe scarring from pelvic infections, or are over 35, or smoke…)
College age women still might need medical abortion due to bleeding heavily from a threatened miscarriage or any other medical reasons
Those who say it should have been/could have been codified or women can just go to a neighboring state miss the point that abortion rights have been slowly chipping away for decades before this through attacks on planned parenthood and funding and overly restrictive regulations causing clinics in many parts of the country to shut down. This was a nail in the coffin and still they’re not done. So as Congress will try to protect contraception rights, the other side will say that’s unnecessary and not under attack (until that too is taken away). And quite frankly, I’m pretty sure the end game for a lot of folks is not states rights but outlawing abortion at least (and possibly certain contraception as well nationally).
As @Creekland mentioned, sometimes students agree with their parents and sometimes they disagree with their parents. For parents with students in high school, particularly the Class of 2023 or 2024 who have probably started thinking about colleges, how are they reacting? Is this a big/small/non factor to them? And, if anyone cares to share, what is their sex?
We haven’t talked a TON about it, but we’ve discussed it - my daughter knows my feelings on this. She doesn’t disagree (she also wants to be in a place that values diversity and inclusion and a lot of states were talking about may not share those same values either); she maybe doesn’t feel as strongly as I do about the risk on this topic, but she’s also only 14 going on 15
As a result of a series of flagged posts,I am putting the thread on pause as some recent posts have been focused on politics only, with no relation to colleges, undermining my earlier directives.
This topic was automatically opened after 9 hours.
I have talked to both of my kids about this. S22 says he doesn’t know anyone who is pulling out of their college choice based on this, but that most of his friends already avoided choosing states where their rights were not respected (most of his friends are female and/or LGBT.) He does have 1 friend, an NMF, who took a full ride at a school in a state where abortion rights have been essentially eliminated. She is bummed. Would not have chosen the school except for finances.
My D25 says she will not go to a school in a state where abortion is banned/severely curtailed. This is too bad because a neighboring state (where we have full tuition reciprocity!) has a number of schools that would fit her very well otherwise. Still unclear whether that state will outlaw abortion or what.
We just had a big discussion at work while planning our organization’s future conferences. Some were of the mind that we should not give these states our business. Someone else said, we just published our diversity statement where we said we value diversity of thought, so…
But for me, listening to and respecting a differing opinion is different than legislating it.
Sometimes, the problem with our kids’ reaction to issues like this is that, like death, they never think it’ll happen to them.
Despite being intelligent and rational creatures, both my kids put this risk somewhere down around the level of being struck by lightning. They’re aware, they’re suitably somber, their social justice antennae are waving - but is it actually hitting home as a solid threat to them personally? I’m not sure it is.
Now my older daughter (age 28) and her husband, the ones with the biracial baby, it’s most definitely an existential threat to them.
Very sad that in about 4-8 years this may no longer be a true statement. How will residents be trained on abortions when it’s illegal in the state? They won’t even have patients to train on, much less the legal ability to perform the procedure.
Will they be able to go train in a blue state? Unlikely given how hard it is to get a residency anywhere today already. I don’t think blue state hospitals will be able to handle a huge influx of residents just for obgyn or ER rotations (about double, maybe?)
I’m curious how the AMA plans to address the situation. If we continue down the current path, in 10 years will red state physicians be overall less qualified than blue state physicians when it comes to women’s care? Will board certification for obgyn change?
My guess when it comes to med schools is it will have to be a remote rotation (rotation that happens somewhere other than one’s own med school). This already happens with things like Wilderness Medicine because you just don’t get that everywhere. As far as I know (rather limited knowledge so someone with more can correct me if I’m wrong), it’s usually electives, not something “everyone” needs to have in their portfolio. But if it can’t be done in some states, that may be how they have to train.
It’s just a guess though.
My youngest graduated in 2021- but the issue was on her radar. I knew there was a strong possibility Roe would fall. D applied to schools up and down the east coast and 2 in Canada. All safeties, she had no major in mind, so strength of program wasn’t an issue. She loved a FL school the most and got money, but after RBG passed, all FL schools came off. She took off the Canada schools because off the logistics of Covid. She picked a school that gave her money and put her in a place where politics doesn’t rule being pro-choice. She does not regret it.
Colleges need to have a strong sex ed, consent, alcohol training course. Many schools have some form of this, but they need to put in sex ed- real sex ed. D’s school will implant IUDs at the health center. It’s something that she will look into because she knows the pill is less reliable.
DH and I were in the drug store the other day. Went on a search for Plan B. Expiration date was 02/2025. We didn’t buy it, because there was only one on the shelf, but took a picture and sent it to our Ds, so they know what it looks like.
Apparently some medical schools are arranging for this already.
I think that a test of this will be applications in 2022 for Oberlin. Even more than Rice, Oberlin is a small liberal school in a state that has restricted access to abortion.
Rice to me can attract students that are more conservative, as it is in Texas and offers engineering. Unlike a true liberal arts school.
It just feels that schools such as Oberlin are going to be really hurt by the Dobbs decision.
I’d like to know of any other schools you can think of. Very liberal student body in a conservative state.
Guilford, Earlham, Beloit, and Kenyon come to mind. Schools in Purple states like PA could be hurt, too, e.g., Haverford, Bryn Mawr, Dickinson…