"ACOG is aware of the reports of a draft opinion that would strike down the protections afforded by Roe and Casey. We will continue to affirm that the ability of patients to access safe, legal abortion is critical for their health and well-being.” 1/

Tonight we learned that pregnant people no longer have autonomy over their body. For 50 years this right has been protected, but no more. This is a sad day for those of us who have dedicated our lives to reproductive health. The past was scary - we know what is coming.

Unless you have saved a dying women while hemorrhaging, diagnosed a fetus with a lethal fetal anomaly (no brain), treated a septic abortion, watched a woman die from a medical condition (heart failure) in pregnancy, you should NOT get to decide what women can do. #RoeVsWade

This will not end at abortion. I strongly anticipate some states will define life at conception. What does this mean for fertilizing eggs? Testing embryos? Freezing embryos? Discarding embryos? Roe has protected our reproductive rights at many levels and our field is in danger.

IVF came after Roe V Wade. Therefore, it is impossible to know if/how overturning Roe will impact IVF treatment. As a fertility doctor, it is my duty to be proactive to educate society NOW, before laws are enacted that are based on religious ideology vs. actual biology.

Take it from a reproductive doctor who cares for embryos, fetuses & the patients who carry those pregnancies: To hold the potential of a ball of cells - already implanted or not - as more valuable & valid than the health & autonomy of a living, breathing adult, is wrong.

The SCOTUS decision has rocked me and everyone I know. I fear for those forced to carry an undesired pregnancy. Those with an abnormal early pregnancy who need treatment. Those pursuing IVF and infertility treatment. I fear for other laws protecting our freedoms. Call your reps.

An embryo is not a person. Period. Not all embryos have normal genetics and a fertilized egg is not a pregnancy. Implantation is an incredibly complex process and not all embryos that implant lead to normal pregnancies and babies. Personhood bills must be stopped. #MedTwitter

ASRM Responds to Lindsey Graham’s Proposed Abortion Ban.

1. The phrase “late term abortion” is used on purpose. This is not a medical term 2. 15 wks is not even midterm let alone late (pregnancies are 40 wks in length). 3. Most abortions that occur after 15 wks are for *lethal fetal anomalies* that CAN’T be diagnosed before. 2/

4. Your anatomy scan is performed between 18-20 wks, well part the 15 wks cut off. 5. MOST abortions are early - 93% of abortions occur before 14 wks, 6% at 14-20wks, and 1% after 20 wks. But those after 15 wks are usually due to a devastating maternal/fetal situation. 3/

6. Arbitrary bans which limit medical care at a set gestational age, with no exceptions for fetal anomaly and vague exceptions for the life of the mother, universally harm pregnant people. 7. These bans harm those with fewer resources the most. 4/

Is your state #voting on #reproductiverights this November? Get informed. Share these far and wide to protect reproductive rights around the country this election day. #AbortionisHealthcare #ProtectIVF

They are showing you exactly who they are. Personhood bills and limiting IVF will be next. The GOP is not hiding their agenda.

Thank you Jamila Perritt MD MPH for an incredible talk at #ASRM2022 about reproductive justice, our faulted healthcare system and ways to prioritize those who need it most. “I imagine a future of reproductive rights where everyone gets to choose if, when and how to build their family.”

Huge props to all the breastfeeding parents out there doing the work. Pumping is a huge undertaking and I see you all doing your best. You are amazing! POV: pumping mom at an international conference #breastfeeding #workingmom

There’s data to show that a “TLC protocol” improves pregnancy rates. An open door for ultrasounds and discussions is so important. Thanks for sharing these tips!

This is what the extremes of “pro-life” look like - complete loss of bodily autonomy and preventing those desperate to build a family from doing so. Call your reps - this kind of policy has no place in the “land of the free”.