For scientists, Roe’s end raises concerns about personal safety and professional choices

When the U.S. Supreme Court overturned the constitutional right to an abortion and handed decisions about abortion access to state legislators, the reaction was swift, dramatic, and divided. The decision was decried by many scientists as potentially deadly. A researcher who studies abortion at the University of Colorado, Boulder says that banning the procedure will kill people in horrible ways. The decision will affect the research community in states that ban or severely restrict abortion.

If we have scientists avoiding half of this country or all of it, it will have a negative impact on science. She and others worried that the lack of an abortion option would make it hard for scientists to get pregnant. An M.D.-Ph.D. student at a university in Texas fears that it will affect people's ability to write their own destinies.

Nicole Williams is the outreach director for 500 Women Scientists and she says that the Supreme Court reversal will be felt by groups that are underrepresented in science. Being an African-American woman, and knowing that Black birthing persons already experience high levels of pregnancy-related mortality, the overturn of the abortion law is a death sentence for Black women scientists and birthing persons.

Some scientists are rethinking their career plans due to these concerns. The M.D. student in Texas is considering leaving because of the state's strict abortion laws. She loves Texas and says it is difficult. Many other researchers shared similar stories on social media, saying they would be leaving or not pursuing professional opportunities in abortion-restricting states.

You don't have a lot of choice about where you end up, and now there's even less choice if you cut out half the states. She doesn't think she would be comfortable recruiting people to join her in a state that doesn't give them reproductive freedom. She became pregnant after her contraceptive failed. She decided to end the pregnancy because she wanted to focus on her education and freedom for others. She says that being forced to carry an unwanted pregnancy to term during graduate school could have derailed her career plans.

Faculty members in affected states are asking the same questions. In a southern state where abortion is now illegal in nearly all cases, an assistant professor had to take a mental health day to deal with 888-565- 888-565- issues. She is concerned about students at her university who may not be able to afford to travel to another state if they need an abortion because of their background. She wondered if she would ever have to send a student to a conference in California. Is that something that I have to think about?

She might not want to stay to find out. It is difficult to decide whether to stay in her position. She is the only minority in her department and she feels she can have more of an impact in her department than in more liberal states. I'm Hispanic. I'm female. Both of those identities aren't represented in science. She will likely apply for other faculty positions later in the year. It's the fear of my safety and my wellbeing that weighs the most on me.

University administrators have issued statements in support of their employees. The student says her school administrators sent out an email to assure the community that they will be supported. Academics who want to know their employer is paying attention to the issue have been frustrated by the silence of other universities. The professor from the south hasn't received anything from her university. She said it made her angry.

Some scientists want the professional societies to boycott meetings in states that ban abortion. They said that it would only hurt the scientists in those states. Others argue that stance doesn't consider health and safety. Any person capable of having a baby could have an emergency at your conference. It's not a good idea to hold your event in a place where your coworkers are at risk.

A social scientist based in Rhode Island is 38 weeks pregnant. She took the drug to help her body expel the fetal tissue after she had a miscarriage. Her situation wasn't an emergency, but other pregnancy related problems that are often treated with abortion drugs can be fatal if they aren't addressed quickly. It is not clear if those drugs will be prescribed in emergencies in all states. "As a pregnant person, I wouldn't feel comfortable going to conferences in places where I couldn't get medical care that I needed and that reflected my values."