Support Access to Abortion Care

SMFM’s support for reproductive rights and freedom is unwavering. Join us and #ActForAccess using the tools below.

MEDICATION ABORTION UPDATES. In February 2023, SMFM joined colleagues from other medical societies to submit an amicus brief in the case challenging the FDA's authority in the approval of mifepristone. Though legal scholars have denounced the case as baseless, SMFM is concerned about its potential impact on the availability of mifepristone, is monitoring the case closely, and has compiled clinical and advocacy resources for MFMs.

JOIN THE STATE LIAISON NETWORK. SMFM members can join the State Liaison Network and receive regular state-based policy updates via our quarterly newsletter and regular webinar series. Visit the Advocacy Hub to see what SMFM is doing in your state and get resources to advocate for optimal and equitable perinatal outcomes.

READ. Under the leadership of Reproductive Health Advisory Group, SMFM has developed a series of clinical and policy documents since the Dobbs decision.

• Special Statement: A Critical Examination of Abortion Terminology as it Relates to Access and Quality of Care (December 2022)

• Clinical Considerations for Management of Severe Complications When Abortion Care is Restricted 

  (August 2022)

GET LEGAL SUPPORT. The Abortion Defense Network can connect you to the legal resources needed to navigate a post-Roe landscape. Managed by the Lawyering Project in partnership with the American Civil Liberties Union, Center for Reproductive Rights (CRR), If/When/How: Lawyering for Reproductive Justice, National Women’s Law Center (NWLC), and Resources for Abortion Delivery (RAD), the Abortion Defense Network connects abortion providers and supporters with values-aligned attorneys prepared to provide legal advice, representation in criminal proceedings, representation in civil proceedings, and legal defense funds that cover attorney fees and other legal expenses. Anyone in the U.S. working to provide or support abortion can seek assistance from the Abortion Defense Network. If you have a legal need, please visit the Abortion Defense Network website and complete the intake form. Once you submit the form, an attorney navigator will contact you within 24 hours. They will assess your legal needs and connect you with a legal service provider who can help. This may be an attorney from one of the six collaborating organizations, an attorney from an allied state organization, an attorney from the private bar who has been vetted and trained to provide legal services to abortion providers and supporters, or a legal defense fund. 

SHARE ANONYMOUS STORIES OF CLINICAL CARE

• SMFM is regularly approached by policymakers and reporters who want to better understand the impacts of abortion restrictions on high-risk pregnant people and MFMs. One powerful way for MFMs to influence public policy and public understanding of abortion is to share their lived experiences. Recognizing that many MFMs may not be permitted to and/or are hesitant to describe what is happening with their patients in public forums, SMFM has created an anonymous story collection tool. Learn more and share your story here.

• Researchers at University of California San Francisco are collecting de-identified stories of clinical management that has changed since Roe v. Wade was overturned. Through an anonymous survey, health care providers may leave a written narrative or a voice memo describing the case. Visit CarePostRoe.UCSF.edu for more information about the study and how you can anonymously submit your story. 

VIEW RECORDED WEBINARS

• SMFM and the Society of Family Planning co-hosted a webinar Responding to a Post-Roe World: Strategic Collaborations Supporting MFM Practice & Patient Access highlighting strategic collaborations between MFM and complex family planning subspecialists working to mitigate the impact of abortion restrictions. (February 1, 2023) Recording coming soon.
  

• The State Liaison Network hosted a webinar, "Clinicians as Advocates: Preparing for the 2023 State Legislative Sessions." The recorded webinar is available here. (December 13, 2022)

• The SMFM Reproductive Health Project hosted a members-only virtual convening on November 29, 2022, to discuss the SMFM Reproductive Health Project. At the convening, members engaged in open discussion with colleagues, SMFM staff, and leadership about the impact of abortion restrictions on MFM practice and how the Reproductive Health Project can support MFM practice. This event was not recorded.

• SMFM hosted a Fellow Lecture Series, "The Impact of Abortion Restrictions on MFM Training." The recorded webinar is available here. (October 19, 2022)

• The State Liaison Network hosted a webinar on abortion-related state ballot initiatives. The recorded webinar is available here, and one-pagers for each state's ballot initiative are available here. (September 27, 2022)

• SMFM hosted a members-only Fellow Lecture Series webinar addressing strategies for providing care post-Roe and mitigating adverse outcomes. The recorded webinar is available here. (August 3, 2022)

• SMFM hosted a webinar to share more about the Supreme Court’s decision, what is expected in the states, and how you can access support from SMFM. The recorded webinar is available here. (July 19, 2022)