1. United States
2. Utah
3. Letter

Codify abortion rights into law. The Dobbs decision did not just restrict abortion. It sent shockwaves through the entire U.S. health system, degrading care for millions of people who have nothing to do with an unwanted pregnancy. Physicians are now withholding or delaying medically necessary procedures for fear of prosecution. That means people who desperately want children are being denied timely care when pregnancies go wrong, sometimes fatally. Politico senior health reporter Alice Miranda Ollstein documented these cases across the country in her book Side Effects, finding that the damage extends to contraception, IVF, chronic illness management, hospital staffing, wait times, and medical research. Veterans who rely on federal healthcare systems are caught in this dragnet too. This is a public health crisis with no boundaries. Every patient, regardless of age, gender, or geography, is at risk when doctors practice medicine in fear of a prosecutor. Codify the right to abortion and restore the conditions under which physicians can do their jobs.