Opinion Today: Dispatches from the reality of a post-Roe America

What does it really mean to live in a country where abortion access is no longer guaranteed?

View in browser|nytimes.com October 17, 2024 By Meher Ahmad Staff Editor, Opinion I thought I understood the state of abortion in America after Roe. If you read the news often, you might feel the same way I did. I thought the new reality simply meant longer drives or short plane rides for some to get access to care or that the exceptions carved out in the laws of many states meant people facing life-threatening conditions or pregnancy complications were still getting the health care they needed. But when, as part of a project Opinion is publishing today, I set out to hear stories from the doctors, patients and volunteers in states that have banned abortion in the two years since Roe v. Wade was overturned, I quickly learned how the new reality is one of chaos, confusion and oftentimes fear. I heard an OB-GYN in South Dakota describe waiting for one of her patients to get sicker before she could legally provide her care. I listened to a medical resident recount scrambling to find an anesthesiologist for a patient whose abortion would clearly fall under an exception to her state's strict ban. I learned of a woman lying to her doctor for fear she might be reported for taking abortion pills at home. We reached out to over 60 people and organizations in the past four months and asked them to tell us how the Supreme Court's decision to overturn Roe v. Wade has affected them. They shared these stories and many more, through voice notes, photos, videos and text messages. They told us of an America where basic tenets of health care are unraveling, an America where doctors and patients alike live in fear of the law, a country where your fundamental rights can change starkly based solely on which state you live in. 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