Reproductive Care Post-Dobbs (2026-2027)

Background

In June of 2022, the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, ending the federal right to an abortion. This decision has led to early pregnancy or total abortion bans that have now spread to 29 states. These laws, often disconnected from medical science and standard clinical practice, have created widespread upheaval in reproductive health care. Patients now face life-threatening delays, denials of treatment and growing reproductive care deserts. In 2024, 155,000 people traveled out of state for abortion care, representing 15 percent of all patients seeking services.

An estimated 65 percent of women, girls and gender-expansive people living in ban states are now at elevated risk of limited access not only to abortion but to comprehensive reproductive health services, including cervical cancer screening, contraception and safe labor and delivery. At the same time, providers working in these environments face legal uncertainty, moral distress, professional isolation and rapidly shifting institutional policies.

Project Description

Building on the work of previous teams, this project team will continue documenting the impacts of abortion bans by recording long-form oral histories with frontline clinicians. Nearly 100 interviews from 26 states already form the core of a growing archive that captures the lived realities of reproductive medicine in a legally volatile era.

The 2026–2027 team will advance the oral history archive in two major ways:

Expanding the provider interview pool
The team aims to increase representation from 26 to at least 40 states by recruiting clinicians in regions where reproductive health care is rapidly changing. Many clinicians have joined the project through referrals, professional networks, conference presentations and the team’s widely recognized podcast Outlawed. As awareness grows, team members will work to ensure geographic diversity that reflects the national landscape of post-Dobbs reproductive care.

Documenting change over time
Because state laws continue to shift, follow-up interviews will be conducted with clinicians previously recorded in Years 1 and 2 of the project. These conversations will focus on how providers’ experiences, decision-making, institutional constraints and emotional wellbeing have evolved amid legal instability.

The team will also deepen its adoption of a reproductive justice (RJ) framework, examining how race, gender, class and geography intersect to shape access to care. To support safety for vulnerable narrators, the team will continue implementing a twice-yearly data security audit led by oral historians and digital privacy experts.

Two project pathways (“Plan A” and “Plan B”) will run concurrently until institutional feasibility is determined:

Plan A — Convene a national academic conference in June 2027, marking the fifth anniversary of Dobbs, bringing together clinicians, legal scholars, journalists, policymakers and community experts to shape future research questions and public narratives.
Plan B — Produce a book and media kit based on interview materials, including curated excerpts, contextual analysis and resources to support journalists covering reproductive justice issues.

Both plans include maintaining, organizing and enhancing the oral history archive for long-term research access.

Anticipated Outputs

Expansion of the audio archive to providers from at least 40 states
Second-round interviews with early narrators to document longitudinal change
Season 3 of Outlawed, now ranked in the top 1 percent of podcasts
Updated data security protocol and biannual audits
If Plan A: academic conference on medicine, law and society post-Dobbs
If Plan B: book manuscript and a media kit for journalists
Public-facing digital map integrating interview excerpts, policy data and access metrics
Ongoing contributions to national presentations, workshops and scholarly publications

Student Opportunities

Ideally, this team will include 3 graduate students and 9 undergraduate students. Applicants may come from such fields as global health, public policy, gender and sexuality studies, African American studies, history, anthropology, journalism, film, computer science, sociology or pre-health pathways.

Students will gain experience in:

Conducting oral history interviews using trauma-informed, RJ-aligned methods
Transcribing, indexing and curating interview materials
Practicing “deep listening” and critical reflection
Working with secure data systems and maintaining anonymity protocols
Designing communication strategies for advocacy, journalism and public scholarship
Planning and executing a national academic conference (Plan A)
Developing book materials, permissions and excerpt curation (Plan B)
Producing digital storytelling and data visualizations
Understanding the ethical, legal and medical implications of abortion policy

Graduate students will lead subteams, mentor undergraduates, coordinate workflows and hone public communication skills. Selected students may have opportunities to travel for conferences and interviews.

In Fall 2026, this team will meet on Mondays from 3:05-5:35 p.m.

Timing

Fall 2026 – Spring 2027

Fall 2026:

Learn and implement data security protocols
Train in interviewing methods and oral history ethics
Conduct interviews and follow-up conversations
Support conference planning (Plan A) or archival/book preparation (Plan B)

Spring 2027:

Continue interviewing and processing audio materials
Add excerpts to the project website and enhance public-facing resources
Develop communications and social media materials
Advance conference logistics (Plan A) or organize book content (Plan B)

Crediting

Academic credit available for fall and spring semesters

See earlier related team, Reproductive Health Care Post-Roe (2025-2026).