Washington, DC — A report finds states that ban or severely restrict abortion are less likely to attract medical school graduates for hospital residency slots.
The study from the Association of American Medical Colleges Research and Action Institute found a drop in applications across all residency slots in states that restrict abortion. Atul Grover, the institute’s executive director, says the drop was much more drastic for med school graduates looking to be OB/GYNs.
Iowa has one of the lowest rates of OB/GYNs per capita in the country. A new Iowa law that bans abortions at about six weeks of pregnancy was temporarily blocked this week by a district judge while it faces legal challenges. Grover says he’s concerned abortion restrictions could increasingly deter other kinds of residents, not just OB/GYNs.
Grover made his comments on the Iowa Public Radio program, River to River.
