ICYMI: I’m an Aspiring OB-GYN. Here Is Why I Won’t Do My Residency in Any State With an Abortion Ban.

In new op-ed, American Medical Students Association President, Rohini Kousalya Siva, explains how abortion bans drive health care providers away from communities in need

VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. – In a new op-ed in Ms. Magazine, Rohini Kousalya Siva, MD, MPH, MS, is explaining her decision to avoid OB-GYN residency programs in states with abortion bans.

Rohini, who serves as the President of the American Medical Students Association, plans to practice obstetrics and gynecology and is preparing to apply to residency programs, but finds her options limited by abortion bans in states across the country. Like many young professionals, Rohini is disappointed that the career she has worked so hard for is already being undermined by anti-abortion lawmakers.

In her piece, Rohini explains that training in abortion care is essential for OB-GYNs – training she would not receive if she completes her residency in a state where abortion is banned. 

"Abortion care is essential health care, and my training would be incomplete without the opportunity to provide these services to patients. I did not spend four years working hard in medical school to deprive myself as a resident of these essential learning opportunities."

Rohini's op-ed follows the release of a new March of Dimes report showing that nearly 6 million women across the US live in maternity care deserts, defined as "any county in the United States without a hospital or birth center offering obstetric care and without any obstetric providers." Though nearly every state has a county that is considered a maternity care desert, with the highest prevalence in Midwestern and Southern states, aspiring health care providers like Rohini are being driven away from these communities by anti-abortion extremists.

"The U.S. faces a shortage of OB-GYNs and in fact all specialty doctors—and it’s only expected to get worse in the years ahead. I know how important access to reproductive healthcare is and I want to be part of the solution—but lawmakers in states like Georgia and Wisconsin are standing in the way. "

Rohini is not alone. Research from Ariana Traub at Emory University highlighted in a new TIME article shows that nearly 80% of third and fourth year medical students surveyed in 2022 said that abortion laws affected where they planned to apply to residency programs. Almost 60% of the students surveyed said they were “unlikely to apply to any residency programs in states with abortion restrictions” – meaning many communities will remain without access to local providers. The new reporting from TIME illustrates just how devastating limited access to OB-GYN care can be for patients. 

Rohini's decision to avoid residency programs in states with abortion bans confirms that ongoing attacks on abortion rights and OB-GYNs will only exacerbate this crisis, and leave more patients without essential, and sometimes life-saving care.

You can read Rohini's op-ed in Ms. Magazine here. If you’re interested in speaking with Rohini, please reach out to zoe@freeandjust.us. 

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