One year after the reversal of Roe, reflecting on what has changed

• Link to: Northwestern Now Story

 On June 24, 2022, the U.S. Supreme Court issued its ruling in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization, which effectively overturned Roe v. Wade. Since then, health care, politics, law and other domains have felt the impact of the decision. Below, Northwestern faculty from a variety of disciplines offer comments on the anniversary for media.

Deborah Tuerkheimer is the Class of 1967 James B. Haddad Professor of Law at Northwestern University Pritzker School of Law. She is an expert on criminal law, evidence and feminist legal theory and the author of CREDIBLE: Why We Doubt Accusers and Protect Abusers. Professor Tuerkheimer has limited availability for interviews. To arrange, contact Max Witynski at max.witynski@northwestern.edu.

Quote from Professor Tuerkheimer

“Dobbs has ushered in a period of extraordinary chaos, legal uncertainty, and suffering, particularly for pregnant women who are most vulnerable. The picture varies dramatically across the states—legislative efforts run the gamut from extreme abortion bans to laws that protect access to reproductive health care. Many of these battles are playing out in court, others in legislative arenas, and still others through ballot initiatives. All the while, at the national level, opponents of abortion are aggressively seeking to curtail a right to abortion.”

James Druckman is the Payson S. Wild Professor of Political Science at Northwestern’s Weinberg College of Arts and Sciences. He is an expert on preference formation and political communication, including the polarization of American society. He is the co-author of national surveys about Dobbs’ impact on Americans’ support for abortion access and likelihood of voting. Professor Druckman is not available for interviews, but can be quoted as follows.

Quote from Professor Druckman

“The Dobbs decision has changed the electoral landscape in fundamental ways; it has created a conundrum for many Republican candidates whose donors and primary election voters may support restrictions even though it appears to be a losing strategy in most general elections.”

Dr. Melissa Simon is the vice chair for research in the department of obstetrics and gynecology, the director of the Center for Health Equity Transformation and a professor of obstetrics and gynecology at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine. She also is a Northwestern Medicine OB-GYN. She is currently traveling but is available for interviews via phone and Zoom. Contact Kristin Samuelson at ksamuelson@northwestern.edu to arrange.

Quote from Dr. Simon

“The one-year anniversary of the overturning of Roe represents an important reminder that, despite a Declaration of Independence that holds truths that we are all equal, equality is a further reality for some of us than others. Those of us who can become pregnant still do not have autonomy over our health decisions. And politicians and Supreme Court Justices who are not trained in medicine hold more decision-making capacity over our health than we possess. This ruling did not reduce the number of abortions, nor did it make abortion disappear. And those of us who face the largest obstacles to access health care, including those in rural and low-income communities, experience the most inequality under this ruling.”

Dr. Katherine Wisner is the director of the Asher Center for the Study and Treatment of Depressive Disorders and a professor of psychiatry and behavioral sciences and obstetrics and gynecology at Feinberg. She also published this JAMA Psych Viewpoint piece in February on abortion restriction and mental health. She is available for interviews. Contact Marla Paul at marla-paul@northwestern.edu.

Quote from Dr. Wisner: 

“Compelling people to continue an unwanted pregnancy creates major personal and financial challenges that escalate the need for mental health care — from an already overwhelmed system in crisis.”