abstract: 'Objectives: In 2015, the Georgia (US) legislature implemented a

  gestational limit, or ``ban{''''} on abortion at or beyond 22 weeks from

  the last menstrual period. In this study, we qualitatively examined

  abortion provider perspectives on the ban''s impact on abortion care

  access and provision.Study design: Between May 2018 and September 2019,

  we conducted in-depth individual interviews with 20 abortion providers

  (clinicians, staff, and administrators) from four clinics in Georgia.

  Interviews explored perceptions of and experiences with the ban and its

  effects on abortion care. Team members coded tran-scripts to 100\%

  agreement using an iterative, group consensus process, and conducted a

  thematic analysis.Results: Participants reported strict adherence to the

  ban and also its negative consequences: additional labor plus

  service-delivery restrictions, legally constructed risks for providers,

  intrusion into the provider-patient relationship, and impact of limited

  services felt by patients and, thus, providers. Participants commonly

  mentioned disparities in the ban''s impact and viewed the ban as

  disproportionately affecting people of color, those experiencing

  financial insecurity, and those with underlying medical conditions.

  Nonetheless, participants described a clear, unrelenting commitment to

  providing quality patient-centered care and dedication to and

  satisfaction in their work. Conclusions: Georgia''s ban operates as

  legislative interference, adversely affecting the provision of quality,

  patient-centered abortion care, despite providers'' resilience and

  commitment. These experiences in Georgia have timely and clear

  implications for the entire country following the Supreme Court''s

  decision to overturn Roe v Wade, thus reducing care access and

  increasing negative health and social consequences and in-equities for

  patients and communities on a national scale. Implications: Our findings

  from Georgia (US) indicate an urgent need for coordinated efforts to

  challenge the Dobbs v Jackson Women''s Health Organization decision and

  for proactive policies that protect access to later abortion care.

  Research that identifies strategies for supporting providers and

  patients faced with continuing restrictive legal environments is

  warranted.\& COPY; 2023 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Inc. This is

  an open access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license

  (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/).'
affiliation: 'Hartwig, SA (Corresponding Author), Ctr Reprod Hlth Res Southeast RISE,
  Atlanta, GA 30322 USA.

  Hartwig, SA (Corresponding Author), Emory Univ, Rollins Sch Publ Hlth, Atlanta,
  GA 30322 USA.

  Hartwig, Sophie A.; Youm, Awa; Contreras, Alyssa; Mosley, Elizabeth A.; McCloud,
  Candace; Carroll, Erin; Lathrop, Eva; Cwiak, Carrie; Hall, Kelli Stidham, Ctr Reprod
  Hlth Res Southeast RISE, Atlanta, GA 30322 USA.

  Hartwig, Sophie A.; Youm, Awa; Contreras, Alyssa; Mosley, Elizabeth A.; McCloud,
  Candace; Lathrop, Eva; Cwiak, Carrie; Hall, Kelli Stidham, Emory Univ, Rollins Sch
  Publ Hlth, Atlanta, GA 30322 USA.

  Goedken, Peggy; Lathrop, Eva; Cwiak, Carrie; Hall, Kelli Stidham, Emory Univ, Sch
  Med, Dept Gynecol \& Obstet, Atlanta, GA USA.

  Carroll, Erin, Univ Alabama Birmingham, Dept Hlth Care Org \& Policy, Birmingham,
  AL USA.

  Mosley, Elizabeth A., Univ Pittsburgh, Ctr Innovat Res Gender Hlth Equ CONVERGE,
  Sch Med, Div Gen Internal Med, 230 McKee Pl, Pittsburgh, PA 15213 USA.

  Lathrop, Eva, PSI, 1120 19th St,NW, Washington, DC 20036 USA.

  Hall, Kelli Stidham, Columbia Univ, Mailman Sch Publ Hlth, 60 Haven Ave,B3 312,
  New York, NY 10032 USA.'
article-number: '110059'
author: Hartwig, Sophie A. and Youm, Awa and Contreras, Alyssa and Mosley, Elizabeth
  A. and McCloud, Candace and Goedken, Peggy and Carroll, Erin and Lathrop, Eva and
  Cwiak, Carrie and Hall, Kelli Stidham
author-email: sophie.anne.hartwig@emory.edu
author_list:
- family: Hartwig
  given: Sophie A.
- family: Youm
  given: Awa
- family: Contreras
  given: Alyssa
- family: Mosley
  given: Elizabeth A.
- family: McCloud
  given: Candace
- family: Goedken
  given: Peggy
- family: Carroll
  given: Erin
- family: Lathrop
  given: Eva
- family: Cwiak
  given: Carrie
- family: Hall
  given: Kelli Stidham
da: '2023-09-28'
doi: 10.1016/j.contraception.2023.110059
earlyaccessdate: JUL 2023
eissn: 1879-0518
files: []
issn: 0010-7824
journal: CONTRACEPTION
keywords: 'Abortion; Abortion clinic; Abortion policy; Health care delivery;

  Qualitative research; United States'
keywords-plus: CONSTANT COMPARATIVE METHOD; HEALTH; WOMEN; LAW
language: English
month: AUG
number-of-cited-references: '31'
orcid-numbers: Hartwig, Sophie/0000-0003-3044-8220
papis_id: 6ef6bf23f2d1bcee48f175138e1d2ddc
ref: Hartwig2023rightthing
times-cited: '0'
title: '``The right thing to do would be to provide care ... and we can''t″: Provider
  experiences with Georgia''s 22-week abortion ban ...'
type: Article
unique-id: WOS:001038762400001
usage-count-last-180-days: '0'
usage-count-since-2013: '0'
volume: '124'
web-of-science-categories: Obstetrics \& Gynecology
year: '2023'