Victoria Lazarov MD, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount SinaiFollow
Cecilia Mastrogiacomo MD, Stony Brook University HospitalFollow
Mikaela Koch, David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLAFollow
Kirsten Wohlars, Donald and Barbara Zucker School of Medicince at Hofstra/NorthwellFollow
Tova Ablove MD, Jacobs School of Medicine & Biomedical SciencesFollow
Student Perspectives on Reproductive Rights Research GroupFollow

Medical Students’ Perspectives on Dobbs v Jackson Women’s Health Organization

Publication Date

9-3-2025

DOI

10.31986/issn.2578.3343_vol6iss1.9

First Page

Last Page

Abstract

Background: In June 2022, the Dobbs v Jackson Women’s Health Organization ruling overturned the previously upheld constitutional right to abortion. The resulting impact on medical training and student decision-making remains uncertain. This study aims to assess the nationwide impact of the Dobbs decision on medical students’ geographic residency preferences, specialty selection, and level of concern regarding civil and criminal charges for physicians providing abortion and fertility care.

Methods: An anonymous IRB-approved REDCap survey was distributed to American accredited medical schools across the United States and Israel between December 2022 and May 2023. Participants indicated specialty interests and geographic preferences for residency prior to and following the Dobbs decision. Students indicated their level of concern regarding legal charges for physicians providing abortion care across ten scenarios using a Likert scale.

Results: A total of 2,384 medical students from 72 schools completed the survey. Students reported a change in geographical preference for residency programs after the Dobbs decision: increasing preference for abortion-protected states and decreasing preference for abortion-banned states (p < 0.0001). Interest in pursuing reproductive medicine (RM) specialties decreased after the Dobbs decision. Females and individuals interested in pursuing residency in abortion-protected states reported higher levels of legal concern (p < 0.01).

Conclusion: Medical students’ perceptions of the Dobbs decision offer insights into career selection and geographic preferences among future physicians. These findings suggest that Dobbs may exacerbate geographic barriers to care as medical students become less willing to train in states with strict anti-abortion legislation.

Recommended Citation

Lazarov, Victoria MD; Mastrogiacomo, Cecilia MD; Koch, Mikaela; Wohlars, Kirsten; Ablove, Tova MD; and Research Group, Student Perspectives on Reproductive Rights (2025) "Medical Students’ Perspectives on Dobbs v Jackson Women’s Health Organization," Cooper Rowan Medical Journal: Vol. 6: Iss. 1, Article 9.
DOI: 10.31986/issn.2578.3343_vol6iss1.9
Available at: https://rdw.rowan.edu/crjcsm/vol6/iss1/9