Supreme Court leaked abortion plan: UM experts can comment on political and health effects

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EXPERT ADVICE

The United States Supreme Court has recognized a leaked draft opinion on Roe v. Wade, the landmark 1973 court decision that granted federal protection for the right to abortion. The University of Michigan has experts who can weigh in on the potential decision, which is expected to be officially announced before the term ends this summer.

Paula LantzProfessor of Public Policy and Health Management and Policy, studies the role of public policy in improving population health and reducing social disparities in health.

“Because abortion has been a legal, private health service for nearly 50 years, the data systems and resources needed to accurately measure and track the health damage and deaths that will result from illegal abortions are non-existent,” she said.

“As I wrote in a 2019 opinion piece regarding restrictive state abortion laws: “It is in the interest of society that experts reach consensus on the best methods for producing unbiased and valid estimates of the number of deaths and severe morbidity resulting from policies restrictions on abortion”. This is critically important because we know that when abortion and other reproductive health services are severely restricted, women suffer and die. Numbers represent real people, matter regardless of ideology, and deserve to be known, believed, and respected.

Contact: [email protected]


Barbara McQuadeprofessor of legal practice, specializing in civil rights, public interest law and criminal law.

“It is unprecedented to see a draft opinion like this leaked, although sometimes in the past there have been leaks about how the court was leaning or how an individual judge might be inclined to vote,” she said. “But the leak, I think, at the very least, tends to undermine the Court’s credibility because it suggests that it panders to political whims and is a political actor.

“And what does that mean for the women of America? Well, that means that in 13 states where they already have trigger laws, there will be no abortion rights. These laws have been in place since 1973 which state that if Roe v. Wade is overruled, it is immediately illegal to have abortions in these states, to varying degrees. There are other states like Michigan where there are old laws in place that will be resurrected if Roe v. Wade is canceled.

Contact: [email protected]


Sioban Harlow is professor emeritus of epidemiology and global public health, and of obstetrics and gynecology. She is also the director of the Center for Midlife Science.

“At a time when other countries, such as Mexico and Ireland, recognize the damaging record of laws that prohibit or restrict access to abortion, it is very troubling that the United States Supreme Court is considering cancel Roe c. Wade,” she said. “The restrictive laws passed in Texas and other states reflect a deplorable disregard for science, for the context of many women’s lives, for the danger to the high proportion of women who miscarry and health equity.

“These laws will increase maternal morbidity and mortality, they will not stop abortion. My main concern is for girls who are victims of incest, adolescent girls and young women who are victims of trafficking, poor women who do not have the same means of transport as their wealthy counterparts and women who miscarry.

Contact: [email protected]


Sarah Miller is Assistant Professor of Business Economics and Public Policy and Associate Professor at the Center for Population Studies, Institute for Social Research. She researches health care and health economics and recently published a paper on the economic consequences of refusing an abortion.

“Our recent study compared women who were denied abortions on the basis of gestational age to women who sought and received an abortion somewhat earlier in pregnancy,” she said. “Those who are denied abortions experience a spike in financial problems, including serious financial problems such as bankruptcies, which have persisted for many years. If Roe v. Wade is canceled, millions of people will be put in a position where an unplanned pregnancy could expose them to serious long-term financial and economic hardship.

Contact: 734-647-6978, [email protected]


Josh Pasek is Associate Professor of Communication and Media and Associate Professor at the Center for Policy Studies at the Institute for Social Research. His research explores how new media and psychological processes each shape political attitudes and behaviors and public opinion. He also leads an abortion and public opinion assessment project.

“As proponents of abortion access ponder ways to respond to the ruling, some will be tempted to frame the issue as men trying to control women’s bodies. While this may well be the effect of the changing legal landscape, the framework is unlikely to be convincing, as women represent not only the strongest advocates of legal abortion, but also its strongest opponents. , did he declare. “The landscape of attitudes towards abortion has changed significantly over time. It’s easy to forget that when Roe was first ruled, Republicans were more likely to support abortion access than Democrats, and men were more supportive of legal access than women.

Contact: [email protected]


Anna Kirkland is a professor and director of the Institute for Research on Women and Gender.

“The leaked majority opinion shows that the court is prepared to take the most dramatic route to overturn Roe v. Wade, to quash it completely and to question the entire series of cases to which it is linked,” he said. she stated. “Access to abortion is about to be dramatically restricted in large swaths of the United States. Some people who need abortions will still be able to get them by traveling or using medication, but many more people will be forced to give birth against their will, some will take desperate measures and some will die from pregnancy complications.

“This is by far the most radical right-wing majority we’ve ever seen in the Supreme Court, so I wonder if and when they’ll take further action like declaring a fetus a person, making all illegal abortions no matter what. the state would want to make or take away rights to same-sex marriage or contraception. Republican state legislatures are certainly prepared to compel them to follow these laws. These are theocratic ideas who found the majority in our court.

Contact: [email protected]


Guillaume Lopez is a Clinical Assistant Professor of Health Behavior and Health Education who researches and teaches about how policies impact communities of color.

“Public health research clearly shows that access to abortion is part of a full spectrum of reproductive health care,” he said. “Eliminating access to abortion will increase cycles of poverty, criminalize pregnancy and unquestionably lead to maternal mortality. As with all regressive health policies, the burden of disease and mortality will fall most heavily on people of color.

Contact: [email protected]


Ruth Zielinsky is a clinical professor and director of the graduate midwifery program at the School of Nursing. Her research expertise is in women’s health around body image and sexuality and maternal health outcomes. In this recent Q&A session, she explains how the state of Michigan is limiting the reproductive health services midwives and nurses can provide, further limiting the services women receive.

“Michigan unnecessarily limits where abortions can be performed by requiring abortions to be performed in a hospital or specialty facility (consistent with the requirements of a surgical facility),” she said. “This is unnecessarily restrictive and could make access to abortion more difficult for people in rural communities, particularly if they have lower incomes.”

Contact: [email protected]


Richard Friedmanprofessor of law, is an expert on the evidence and history of the Supreme Court of the United States.

“If the draft opinion that has been published becomes (after some revisions) a majority opinion of the Supreme Court, as seems likely, it will obviously be a bombshell, but not a surprise,” he said. “But the long-term effect may be very different from what’s apparent right now.

“Most of the American public consistently supports allowing women to abort their pregnancies, at least in the first trimester, and all the force of that view will now be directed through political channels. We can expect what it helps Democrats and puts many Republicans in the hot seat Pro-choice organizations will raise funds much more easily, and I believe that, even if some states will try to prevent them, many more women will be able to travel outside the country. State for Safe and Legal Abortions Additionally, the vast majority of abortions are performed in states where the law will not change as a result of this ruling.

Contact: [email protected]


Lea Litman is an assistant professor of law specializing in constitutional law, federal courts and federal sentencing. His research focuses on the unidentified and implicit values ​​that are used to structure the justice system, federal courts, and the legal profession. She is the host of “Strict Scrutiny,” a podcast exploring Supreme Court news, arguments, and opinions.

Contact: [email protected]


Lisa Harris, a professor of obstetrics and gynecology, directs the UM Fellowship in Family Planning. Her clinical work includes most aspects of general obstetrics and gynecology care, with emphasis on miscarriage and family planning. In particular, her research explores the stigma of abortion, the experiences of abortion care providers, the racial and social class stratification of reproduction, and strategies for providing health care within a framework of justice. reproductive.

Contact: Beata Mostafavi, [email protected]


Laura Owens is a clinical assistant professor of obstetrics and gynecology with specialized training in complex family planning and abortion care. Her research team will study the impact of geography on access to abortion care in Michigan by analyzing data on distance to abortion care by Michigan county, identifying areas most likely to be affected by a ban and examining whether distance to abortion care is associated with maternal morbidity, racial composition, and socioeconomic status at the county level.

Contact: Beata Mostafavi, [email protected]


Joelle Abramowitz is an associate researcher at the Survey Research Center of the Institute for Social Research. She studies health insurance, medical expenses, marriage, fertility and general health topics.

Contact: 609-334-2162, [email protected]

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