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How has adolescent sexual healthcare changed after Dobbs v. Jackson?
Contact: Jon Meerdink ([email protected])
ANN ARBOR — In 2022, the Supreme Court’s decision in Dobbs v. Jackson removed federal constitutional protection for abortion rights, sending shockwaves through the American healthcare system in myriad ways. Emerging evidence over the two years since the decision shows a disproportionate impact on young people, who already faced significant barriers to accessing contraception and abortion even prior to Dobbs.
How, exactly has the landscape changed? Julie Maslowsky, an affiliate of the Population Dynamics and Health Program in the Institute for Social Research’s Population Studies Center (PSC), took up that question in the latest talk from the Insights Speaker Series. Maslowsky, a developmental psychologist and public health scientist, focuses much of her research on sexual and reproductive health, including contraception and abortion. In her talk, titled “Adolescent Contraception and Abortion Post-Dobbs,” she explored the impact of the landmark Supreme Court decision on adolescent health — and how a lack of data affects decisions made regarding policy and practice concerning adolescent sexual health.
“We really have very little evidence specifically on minors,” said Maslowsky. “We have all sorts of research about abortion, whether it’s predictors of consequences or experiences during, but minors are vastly underrepresented. We know that they face disproportionate barriers to accessing abortion care and disproportionate impacts of restrictions.”
According to Maslowsky’s research, adolescents don’t just face existing barriers to sexual healthcare — new ones are being added, including laws that prevent adolescents from traveling to seek an abortion and regulations that prevent people from helping an adolescent receive sexual healthcare.
Maslowsky’s full insights talk is available here. For more information on the Insights Speaker Series, click here. Visit ISR’s YouTube page for full videos of every talk from the Insights Speaker Series and other resources from great speakers and researchers visiting ISR.