Kelly Joins Colleagues, Reproductive Health Care Providers to Speak Out About How Republican Abortion Bans are Harming Doctors, Worsening Access to Care

ICYMI: Recent report from Physicians for Reproductive Health details Dobbs’ erosion of the health care workforce

Today, Arizona Senator Mark Kelly spoke at a Capitol Hill press conference to highlight how the overturning of Roe v. Wade and Republican abortion bans have impacted Arizona’s health care workforce—forcing providers to consider leaving the states and limiting their ability to provide evidence-based care.  

The press conference comes on the heels of new data from the AAMC Research and Action Institute, which found that, for the second year in a row, graduating medical students are less likely to choose residency programs in states with abortion bans or severe abortion restrictions. In Arizona, residency applications have decreased nearly 20 percent from 2023 to 2024 and applications for OB-GYNs have dropped more than 25 percent.  

“Abortion bans are not only restricting the rights of Arizonans—they’re also creating chaos for women and doctors,” said Kelly. “Right now, as Arizona whiplashes between two abortion bans, physicians are choosing not to come to our state and others are considering leaving, putting women’s lives at risk. We must write abortion rights into law to eliminate once and for all the catastrophic consequences of Roe v. Wade being overturned.” 

Click here to watch Kelly’s remarks.  

Kelly has been a leading voice nationally against this ban, condemning the Arizona Supreme Court decision moments after it was released and speaking about the disastrous impact for women and doctors. 

Kelly is a co-sponsor of the Women’s Health Protection Act, which would write almost 50 years of precedent for abortion protections under Roe v. Wade into law, and joined a brief in support of upholding the Food and Drug Administration’s longstanding authority to approve and regulate mifepristone—an abortion and miscarriage management medication that has been used safely and effectively for over 20 years. Kelly also helped introduce legislation to provide a consistent and strong source of funding for the Title X Family Planning Program.