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Watch: Medical Residents Are Increasingly Avoiding Abortion Ban States

On KFF Health News’ “What the Health?,” chief Washington correspondent Julie Rovner sat down with Atul Grover of the Association of American Medical Colleges to talk about its recent analysis showing that graduating medical students are avoiding training in states with abortion bans and major restrictions. Among those who applied for residencies this year, that was true not only for aspiring OB-GYNs and others who regularly treat pregnant patients, but for all specialties.

Fourteen states, primarily in the Midwest and South, have banned nearly all abortions. The new analysis by the AAMC found that the number of applicants to residency programs in states with near-total abortion bans declined by 4.2%, compared with a 0.6% drop in states where abortion remains legal.

Find more of our reporting on what this trend means for the medical profession here.

KFF Health News is a national newsroom that produces in-depth journalism about health issues and is one of the core operating programs at KFF—an independent source of health policy research, polling, and journalism. Learn more about KFF.

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