Life in a Post-Roe World with Dr. Natalie Crawford
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Dr. Natalie Crawford is co-founder of Fora Fertility, a boutique fertility practice in Austin, Texas and is board certified in both Obstetrics and Gynecology and Reproductive Endocrinology and Infertility (REI). Early on in the pandemic I had her on the podcast to talk about egg freezing: TRC Ep 91: “The Fertility Series: Egg Freezing 101”. Fast forward to 2022, I started my own egg freezing journey with Dr. Natalie (which you can hear all about here). Today, I brought her back on the podcast to talk about a really important issue: the overturning of Roe v Wade.
The Precedent of Roe v Wade + The Problem with Dobbs
Roe v Wade federally protected a person’s right to an abortion. It did not dictate gestational ages.
The Dobbs decision overturned Roe v Wade and now states decide what is appropriate and what is not.
“Care deserts”: Entire regions have made abortion illegal, so women will now have to travel far if they need an abortion for any number of reasons.
“Why, from a legal standpoint, are we trying to walk things back to fertilization? That’s not how it works in our bodies.” - Dr. Natalie Crawford
“We make it seem like we should be able to extend what we might do in that situation onto other people.” - Dr. Natalie Crawford
The Foreseen (and Unforeseen) Consequences:
Criminalization of abortion
Crossing state lines for care
Management of miscarriages and early pregnancy abnormalities
Limited Access to fertility care
Access to contraception in some states may be limited
Loss of doctors, nurses, and embryologists and healthcare professionals in these states because they can’t practice without fear of felony.
“Restricting access does not decrease abortions” - Dr. Natalie Crawford
4 Proactive Ways to Decrease Abortions
The #1 Way to decrease abortion rates: Proper sex education
Contraceptive counseling
Increased paid parental leave
Help with payments for things like healthy care universal preschool
“This isn’t pro-life. This is forced birth.” - Dr. Natalie Crawford
Organizations Trying to Help
Doctors for Fertility - A bipartisan, single issue, nonprofit Dr. Natalie is a part of with the goal of reproductive rights and fertility access no matter where you live
Three for Freedom - Dr. Jennifer Lincoln, an OB-GYN, started this nonprofit with the goal of educating people on abortion, contraception, and access to care
The American Society for Reproductive Medicine - Professional organization putting out additional information on the topic
The American College of Obstetrics and Gynecology - Professional organization putting out additional information on the topic
“Now that things have been rolled back to the state, your small elections matter the most.” - Dr. Natalie Crawford
Resources
Keep up with Dr. Natalie on Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube, or at nataliecrawfordmd.com
Listen to Dr. Natalie’s podcast “As A Woman”
Sign up for Dr. Natalie’s fertility course here.
Listen to Dr. Natalie on TRC Ep 91: “The Fertility Series: Egg Freezing 101”
Listen to Ashley Abercrombie on TRC Ep 122: “Why Pro-Birth is Not Enough”
Join the Patreon book club here for our discussions of Come As You Are by Emily Nagoski.
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