Supreme Court’s Action Has Pushed Abortion Legislation to the States

AMSN is disappointed by the Supreme Court ruling regarding Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health which also struck down Roe v. Wade and Planned Parenthood v. Casey. AMSN has consistently advocated for every person’s access to health care as a fundamental human right. It is AMSN’s position that this decision removes the fundamental right of bodily autonomy for childbearing persons and will disproportionately affect people of color, who already suffer significant health disparities (Cohen, 2008).

We recognize that abortion is a deeply personal decision and one that is emotionally charged. As nurses in the United States, we are bound by the American Nurses Association (ANA) Code of Ethics (Olson & Stokes, 2016). There are several provisions of the Code of Ethics that are impacted by this legal decision. AMSN agrees with the ANA in their statement made June 24, 2022, which notes, in part:

Nurses have an ethical obligation to safeguard the right to privacy for individuals, families, and communities, allowing for decision making that is based on full information without coercion. As the largest group of health care professionals, nurses have for decades assisted their patients with weighing the benefits, burdens, and available options, including the choice of no treatment, when discussing sexual health issues and pregnancy. (ANA, 2022)

By removing federal protection, the Supreme Court’s action has pushed abortion legislation to the states, which will cause significant challenges for healthcare providers. In several practice settings medical-surgical nurses care for pregnant patients and AMSN is committed to assisting its members and medical-surgical nurses with navigating the rapidly changing landscape as they attempt to provide exemplary and inclusive patient care.

References
Cohen, S. A. (2008). Abortion and women of color: The bigger picture. Guttmacher Policy Review, 11(3), 2-12.
Olson, L. L., & Stokes, F. (2016). The ANA code of ethics for nurses with interpretive statements: Resource for nursing regulation. Journal of Nursing Regulation, 7(2), 9-20. https://doi.org/10.1016/s2155-8256(16)31073-0
ANA. (2022, June 24). US Supreme Court’s Decision to Overturn Roe vs. Wade: Is a Serious Setback for Reproductive Health and Human Rights