SMFM Responds to Leaked Supreme Court Documents Suggesting the Court Will Roll Back Abortion Rights

Washington, DC – The Society for Maternal-Fetal (SMFM) released the following statement in response to news reports that the Supreme Court will strike down Roe v. Wade, which guarantees federal constitutional protections to abortion and a subsequent decision – Planned Parenthood v. Casey – that largely maintains that right.

A recent report on a leaked draft of the majority opinion in the Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization case suggests that the Supreme Court plans to roll back constitutional rights to abortion in their final decision, expected next month. While deeply concerning and disappointing, this news does not impact patient access to abortion care today, and it is important to note that the leaked opinion was a draft and not the court’s final ruling.

SMFM supports the right of all individuals to access the full spectrum of reproductive health services, including abortion services, and will continue to advocate and fight for those rights. Because Maternal-Fetal Medicine (MFM) subspecialists primarily provide care to people with high-risk pregnancies, SMFM members see first-hand the detrimental and inequitable effects of restrictions and bans that limit access to abortion and other reproductive health services. High-risk pregnancies are more likely to result in medical complications for the pregnant person, fetus, or both and can lead to increased morbidity and mortality.

Abortion care is health care. SMFM encourages the Supreme Court to uphold the right of pregnant people to access safe and necessary abortion care. MFM subspecialists will continue to provide abortion care today and to advocate for all people with high-risk pregnancies.”