Bloomberg School Experts on Anniversary of Dobbs Decision Overturning Roe v. Wade

Two reproductive health and legal experts from the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health are available for comment about the upcoming one-year anniversary of Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization (June 24), which overturned the U.S. Supreme Court’s landmark 1973 Roe v. Wade decision.

Additionally, the experts have provided statements for use by the media. 

Statement from Suzanne Bell:

While it will take many years to fully understand the impact of the Supreme Court’s monumental Dobbs decision, one thing is certain: Because of the Dobbs decision and the subsequent restrictions it allowed, tens of thousands of people have been unable to access safe, facility-based abortion services. Abortions occur among all types of people, most often for financial reasons, meaning many families are now likely struggling in the face of unintended births as a result of the abortion restrictions imposed in the past year. Compounding the problem is the fact that states that banned or restricted abortion access following the Dobbs decision have not implemented corresponding programs to improve maternal and child health or to support families in need. Yet these states have among the worst indicators of well-being for women and children. Efforts to restrict abortion have always been about controlling people’s bodies, not about caring for children or families.

Statement from Joanne Rosen:

In the one year since the Supreme Court released its opinion in Dobbs and returned the issue of abortion regulation to lawmakers without the constitutional guardrails that had been in place for the last 50 years, abortion access has changed dramatically and at a breakneck pace across the country. To date, abortion has been banned in 14 states, and this number could increase; an additional 8 abortion bans are currently blocked by court order. At the same time, abortion remains legal and protected in 20 states. Data on the impact of Dobbs is being collected, but prior studies have shown that abortion restrictions disproportionately affect low-income and poor women, and women of color. Previous studies have also demonstrated that the denial of abortion negatively affects physical and mental health, financial stability, and housing stability. These post-Dobbs changes may be just the beginning, and not the end, of what can fairly be described as a seismic shift in abortion access.

• Suzanne Bell, PhD, MPH, is an assistant professor in the Department of Population, Family and Reproductive Health at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. She studies patterns of contraceptive use, abortion, and infertility and associated disparities, primarily in the context of population-based surveys. Her research also assesses structural factors that contribute to disparities in reproductive health behaviors and outcomes.

• Joanne Rosen, JD, MA, is a senior lecturer in the departments of Health Policy and Management and Population, Family and Reproductive Health at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. She also serves as co-director of the Johns Hopkins Center for Law and the Public’s Health. She studies the impact of law and policy on sexual and reproductive health, access to abortion, and sexual and gender minority communities.

Please contact Kristine Henry with interview requests.