When Roe v Wade was overturned, a US institution saw a surge in requests for sterilisation

Embargoed until: Publicly released: 2023-07-26 01:00

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The University of Michigan saw a surge of requests from women wanting to get their tubes tied after amid the overturning of Roe v Wade, a ruling that previously prevented bans on abortion in the US. The researchers looked at the number of requests to set up tubal sterilisation surgery at their institution in the years 2019, 2021 and 2022. They say 658 requests were made in 2022 compared to 402 and 430 in 2019 and 2021 respectively. Looking at the month-to-month data, the researchers say the 2022 increase was only visible from May 2022 until September, which corresponds with the initial news leak in May suggesting Row v Wade was about to be overturned.

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Journal/
conference: JAMA

Research:Paper

Organisation/s: University of Michigan, USA

Funder: Dr Loder reported receiving grants from Sebela Pharmaceuticals and Merck for contraceptive clinical trials. Dr Dalton reported receiving grant funding from the National Institutes of Health, the US Department of Health and Human Services Office of Population Affairs, and an anonymous donor; receiving personal fees from the Arnold Foundation; serving as a paid contributing editor for The Medical Letter and an author for UpToDate; receiving instructor fees from the Society of Family Planning; receiving consulting fees from Bind; and serving as an expert witness for Merck. No other disclosures were reported.

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