More than 50 Idaho obstetricians have ceased practicing in the state since a near-total abortion ban went into effect in August 2022, according to a newly released report.
The Idaho Statesman also reported Tuesday that only two obstetricians have moved to the state to practice in the past 15 months, according to data compiled by the Idaho Physician Welfare Alliance. Obstetricians manage your health from pregnancy to childbirth.
The number of obstetricians in Idaho will decrease from 227 in 2022 to about 176 in 2023, a loss of 51 physicians, according to the report. The Idaho Physician Welfare Action Collaborative was founded in 2018 by local physicians to address issues affecting physicians and patients in the Idaho region, according to its website.
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The numbers “should be relevant to anyone living in or considering moving to Idaho,” the Idaho Safe Health Care Coalition said in a news release this week. The coalition is the parent organization of the Idaho Physician Well-Being Action Collaborative.
Additionally, the report said two hospital maternity programs have closed since Idaho’s abortion ban went into effect: West Bonner General Health in Sandpoint and Valor Health in Emmett.
The report also said a third hospital’s obstetrics program was in “serious danger” of closure.
People hold signs at an abortion rights rally outside the Idaho Statehouse on May 14, 2022. Dozens of obstetricians have stopped practicing in the state since most abortions were banned in the state, according to a new report in the Idaho Statesman. (Sarah A. Miller/Idaho Statesman/Tribune News Service via Getty Images)
Only 22 of Idaho’s 44 counties have access to a practicing obstetrician, according to the report. Approximately 85% of Idaho’s obstetricians and gynecologists practice in her seven most populous counties.
After the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade in 2022, Idaho banned nearly all abortions. Idaho makes it a crime punishable by up to five years in prison for performing or facilitating an abortion.
After Roe, many maternal care physicians in restrictive states are deciding whether to stay or leave. They consider difficult questions about medical ethics, families, and whether they can provide the best care without jeopardizing their careers or prison terms.
Dr. Kylie Cooper, a maternal-fetal specialist, left Idaho last year. She told The Associated Press at the time that it was a very difficult decision, but she needed her and her family to be in a place where they felt protected and safe for reproductive health care.
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Data shows that Idaho’s maternal mortality rate is in the 10th percentile, meaning 90% of the country has better maternal mortality rates and pregnancy outcomes than Idaho.
“At a time when we should be expanding our physician workforce to meet the needs of our growing population and address increased pregnancy and childbirth risks, the state of Idaho criminalizes personal decisions between doctors and patients. The law has plunged our state into a health care crisis that, if unchecked, will affect generations of Idaho families for years to come,” said OB/GYN and director of the Idaho Coalition for Safe Health Care. Dr. Caitlin Gustafson, the foundation’s board chair, said in a news release.
The loss of obstetricians will place further strain on a health system already suffering from a shortage of doctors, the statement said. The national average for births per obstetrician per year is 94, compared to 107 in Idaho, according to a news release.
