Illustration courtesy of graphic editor Linnaea Marks

  At San Luis Obispo High School, we have many students planning to enter a career in the medical field. However, with recent restrictions on abortion, their education may be vastly different as limits on medical procedures ultimately limit medical training. 

  With states such as Florida, Texas, and Idaho creating more regulations on whether or not a woman has access to an abortion, this seriously hinders the medical instruction and expertise of students studying at medical schools in those states.

  “Knowing that some places will limit my training and knowledge is definitely scary because I want the most well-rounded education I can get regarding medical procedures,” said senior Isabella Bonini, who plans on entering the medical field. 

  According to CNN Health, medical students in Missouri are now having to travel to Illinois in order to receive the training they need. Limiting such training for those who plan to work as obstetricians or gynecologists may lead to negative consequences regarding women’s health. 

  To put it into perspective, The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists stated that one in every four women in America will get an abortion by the age of 45, that’s 25 percent. According to a News Gallop poll, an overestimated 23.6 percent of Americans are assumed to be gay. There is a higher percentage of women receiving abortions than there are gay people in the United States, meaning abortions are not a rarity. 

  “Prohibiting education on abortions will only increase the number of unsafe abortions happening, leading to a crisis in women’s health,” said senior Cali Armstrong, who plans on becoming a doctor. 

  Banning the instruction of these clinical skills is not only restricting education regarding abortions, but also restricting training that helps identify and treat helath complications concerning miscarriages and hemorrhaging in the uterine lining. 

  This means that the medical issues that women face in terms of their reproductive health will increasingly go misdiagnosed and untreated.
  “It’s such an important part of the medical field and restricting the education of it has definitely changed where I plan to become a doctor,” said Armstrong. 

  This is not an issue of whether or not abortions are ethical or should be legal, but rather a health issue concerning the obstruction of our future doctor’s knowledge of women’s reproductive health. 

Sources: cnn.com, acog.org, news.gallop.com