Texas abortion laws are pushing OB/GYNs out of the state, leaving fewer doctors to provide essential reproductive care. This means longer waits and less access to quality healthcare for everyone, not just pregnant patients. A growing shortage could impact the entire healthcare system, making it harder for Texans to get timely, critical care. Companies looking to attract top talent—especially women and families—may find it more difficult in a state like Texas with its limited healthcare options.
Just two years after the Dobbs decision set in motion Texas’ near-complete abortion ban, a new report regarding the women’s health crisis in the state of Texas examines how Texas abortion laws are impacting the state’s OB/GYN workforce. The study highlights significant stress the abortion laws are subjecting Texas OB/GYNs to, in a state already facing a women’s health crisis.
The shortage of OB/GYNs in Texas, worsened by our restrictive abortion laws, is affecting access to essential healthcare for women, which directly impacts overall workforce health and productivity. When employees cannot access timely reproductive care, it leads to higher absenteeism, healthcare costs, and reduced workplace efficiency.
The healthcare shortages shown and predicted in the report don’t just affect women or individuals—they have a broader economic impact. Businesses rely on a healthy workforce, and the growing healthcare crisis in Texas could strain local economies, affect insurance costs, and hurt overall business sustainability.
The report, by Manatt Health, draws from statewide surveys and interviews with practicing OB/GYNs, resident physicians, educators, and program directors in Texas. Major findings include:
- A significant majority of practicing Texas OB/GYN physicians surveyed believe that the Texas abortion laws have inhibited their ability to provide highest-quality and medically necessary care to their patients.
- As a result of Texas abortion laws, many Texas OB/GYN physicians and resident physicians are considering or have already made changes to their practices that reduce the availability of OB/GYN care in the state.
- In order to meet well-established national training requirements, as set by the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME), Texas residency programs are developing and underwriting the cost of complicated arrangements that send residents to other states for complex family planning rotations.