It’s been one year since the Supreme Court ended the federal right to an abortion, and OBGYNs say that it has impacted their ability to perform miscarriages and react in pregnancy-related emergencies, according to a new KFF national survey released Wednesday. Now, they fear those restrictions have led to worse maternal mortality rates, and they fear for future recruitment and retention in their profession.

According to the survey, in states with abortion bans, about 4 in 10 OBGYNs said they face constraints on their care for miscarriages and pregnancy-related emergencies; 6 in 10 are concerned about legal repercussions when deciding how to treat people. In many states, abortion bans penalize the provider rather than the pregnant person, with penalties ranging from hefty fines to license suspensions to prison sentences.

In addition, 64 percent think pregnancy-related mortality has been exacerbated; 7 in 10 believe that racial and ethnic inequities in maternal health have worsened.

Brittni Frederiksen, an author of the report and associate director for women’s health policy at KFF, said that these findings reiterate what many in the health care industry already know: Abortion restrictions impact anyone seeking any kind of reproductive care.

The poll also shows that 55 percent of OBGYNs believe it is now harder to attract new physicians to the field, which Frederiksen said could have a big impact for health care in states with abortion bans.

Complicating the situation further, Brandi said these laws are typically not written by physicians but by lawmakers who see abortion as entirely separate and distinct from other types of care. She said she envisions the impact of abortion bans eventually rippling out to even labor and delivery and the health care workforce at large as care becomes increasingly penalized.

Read the full article about reproductive healthcare by Mariel Padilla at The 19th.