Duke University School of Medicine students, led by faculty Beverly Gray, MD, and Jonas Swartz, MD, MPH, created an oral history project documenting how abortion care bans are impacting reproductive care offered to patients; it launched in spring 2024. More than 40 reproductive health care providers practicing in 17 states, including both restricted/ban states, as well as those identified as "access states," were interviewed and told their powerful stories. This work brings awareness to the unique challenges women’s health care providers face since the overturn of Roe v. Wade in 2022.
Through funding from Bass Connections and partnering with Wesley Hogan, PhD, research professor with the John Hope Franklin Humanities Institute and director of documentary studies at Duke, Abortion Care Today: Reproductive Health Care Post-Roe, was created. Personal stories provide detailed and emotional descriptions of the challenges providers and patients seeking abortion care have in the current health care environment.
In addition to the interviews, data, FAQs and resources aimed at helping the everyday person understand the abortion ban landscape are included. The goal is to provide the site's visitors with information they need to advocated for a better environment for reproductive health care and reproductive justice for all, Drs. Gray and Swartz said.
This work was also featured on Due South on WUNC/North Carolina Public Radio; listen to the interview here.