Statement: ACNM Condemns SCOTUS Decision, Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization

June 24, 2022

The United States Supreme Court, in a 6-3 decision in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization, has overturned the landmark 1973 Roe v. Wade decision that has protected a person’s liberty to choose to have an abortion for nearly 50 years. The American College of Nurse-Midwives (ACNM), in no uncertain terms, condemns this decision and what it means for the health and safety of Americans.

ACNM’s position remains steadfast; abortion care is healthcare. Access to abortion is a key component of comprehensive reproductive healthcare. The ability to choose if, when, and how to give birth is linked to a person’s economic success, educational attainment, and general health and well-being. Certified nurse-midwives and certified midwives provide safe and effective abortion services, including options counseling, ultrasound, comprehensive abortion care, and post-abortion care. The ACNM Position Statement on Midwives as Abortion Providers further affirms, for midwives and all in the health care space, the fact that individuals have the right to decide what is best for their health, bodies, lives, and families.

“The Supreme Court’s decision to reverse protections under Roe v. Wade seeks to denigrate the right for people to make reproductive health choices that meet their needs and the subsequent care that midwives provide for them everyday,” stated ACNM President, Heather Clarke, DNP, LM, CNM, APRN, FACNM. “People of reproductive age continue to struggle with a broken maternal healthcare system that has disproportionally impacted Black, Indigenous, Latinx, and Asian people, and this threat to abortion care will further exacerbate maternal mortality and morbidity.”

“ACNM is committed to individual patient autonomy across the spectrum of reproductive health, including abortion,” stated ACNM Chief Executive Officer, Katrina H. Holland. “This commitment includes advocating to keep abortion access unconditionally safe and legal for all people midwives serve, but especially for vulnerable populations with limited resources and unequal access to quality healthcare.”

ACNM maintains the right to access to abortion care as an essential right of those capable of pregnancy. ACNM affirms that everyone has the right to decide what is best for their health, bodies, lives, and families. As such, we adamantly oppose all legal opinions and legislative policy that blatantly or surreptitiously seek to restrict or ban the provision of abortion care, as well as any efforts at any level to render it less accessible. ACNM will continue to support efforts to increase access to midwives as abortion providers and engage with stakeholders to make abortion care accessible to the people and communities midwives serve.

ACNM’s will continue supporting policy efforts that ensure access to the full-range of sexual and reproductive health services for all. Please visit ACNM’s Abortion Is Healthcare Resources page, with ACNM’s position, clinical guidance & research, training & education, and legal guidance.