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Abortion is a urology workforce issue

Nature Reviews Urology (2023)Cite this article

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The urological workforce in the United States is substantially affected by inequitable abortion access across the nation. Female residency applicants avoid states with restrictive laws, and women urologists residing in these states are considering leaving. The urological community needs to invest in advocacy to protect the health of their members.

In July 2022, the US Supreme Court determined that no federal constitutional right to abortion exists in the US ruling Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization. This decision reversed Roe v. Wade, which was a landmark decision of the US Supreme Court in 1973 through which the Court ruled that the Constitution of the USA protects a woman’s liberty to choose abortion. The Dobb’s v. Jackson ruling enabled states to regulate any aspect of abortion not covered by federal law. Following the Dobbs decision, multiple medical organizations made statements disagreeing with the limitation of reproductive access and the fragility of the patient–physician privacy laws1. The American Urological Association (AUA) also issued a statement, which received criticism on social media for the lukewarm condemnation of this decision. Following this event, the AUA surveyed members to understand the priorities and opinions of urologists regarding the Dobbs decision. These data were published in AUANews in January 2023, showing that only 45% of overall responses were in favour of the AUA developing positions on social issues such as abortion2. Looking at the data, among women respondents and young urologists, the majority of respondents wanted the AUA to develop a position on the issue, as well as to devote resources to this cause. Conversely, the older, male and retired respondents were mostly not in favour of the AUA taking a position or dedicating resources towards abortion advocacy.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Urology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA

    Anne P. Cameron

  2. Department of Urology, Oregon Health & Science University, Portland, OR, USA

    Casey A. Seideman

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  1. Anne P. Cameron
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  2. Casey A. Seideman
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Correspondence to Anne P. Cameron.

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Cameron, A.P., Seideman, C.A. Abortion is a urology workforce issue. Nat Rev Urol (2023). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41585-023-00763-w

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41585-023-00763-w

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