SHEA Statement on ASHE Article Regarding Dobbs v Jackson Women’s Health Organization

The SHEA Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) Committee and SHEA Board of Trustees would like to highlight for our members the recently published article “Restricted Reproductive Health and Infectious Diseases Outcomes: A Call to Action” by Pamela Bailey DO, MPH; Julie Ann Justo, PharmD, MS and Priya Nori, MD. Published in Antimicrobial Stewardship and Healthcare Epidemiology (ASHE), the article outlines the potential impact on people assigned female at birth – both as patients and as healthcare personnel – that the Supreme Court’s decision on Dobbs v Jackson Women’s Health Organization is likely to have from a broad infectious diseases perspective that includes antibiotic stewardship and the prevention of healthcare-associated infections (HAIs). SHEA supports the American College of Gynecologists and Obstetricians Abortion Policy, that advocates to improve access to full-spectrum reproductive services, to integrate abortion as a component of mainstream medical care, and to oppose and overturn efforts restricting access to abortion. The DEI committee and Board agree that the Supreme Court’s decision will have a disproportionate impact on marginalized communities and increase the rate of potentially life-threatening complications for all -people assigned female at birth. We echo the authors sentiment that “it is our civic and professional duty to advocate for reproductive rights and unrestricted access to healthcare.” SHEA supports the points outlined in this paper and calls upon healthcare facilities to advocate for healthcare personnel and patients navigating this evolving issue.