Quote:A new study finds that the political climate influenced decision making and reproductive health and family planning

Quote:In June 2022, the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization ended the federal constitutional right to abortion and returned authority to individual states to regulate abortion. A new study from researchers at Penn State College of Medicine, Albany Medical Center, University of South Florida and University of Tennessee Medical Center revealed that the change in abortion policies appears to have a trickle-down effect, influencing reproductive health and family planning decisions.

The research team found that the number of women undergoing tubal ligations — a surgical procedure that permanently prevents pregnancy — increased 51% across four academic medical centers in four states in the year after the Supreme Court decision compared to the prior year. A greater proportion of those seeking the procedure were also younger and had never given birth before.