Packing up the last of my belongings in my Los Angeles apartment was a bittersweet moment. I was thrilled to return to my hometown of Louisville, Kentucky to attend medical school and follow my dream of becoming an ob/gyn. Yet, my heart ached for everything I was leaving behind: sunsets on the beach, cherished friendships, an apartment full of memories, and — most gut-wrenching of all — my sense of freedom and autonomy.
In Los Angeles, I lived in a state that upheld full reproductive freedom and the right to bodily autonomy. I was fortunate to reside in a “free state” in the aftermath of the Dobbs ruling that overturned Roe v. Wade in June 2022. This decision ended the federal constitutional right to abortion and left the issue to individual states.
In California, I had access to comprehensive abortion care and unrestricted education on reproductive health. As both a woman and an aspiring women’s health provider, I faced no barriers to pursuing care that empowered individuals to make choices for their own bodies.
Now, back in my home state of Kentucky, I face a starkly different reality.
The reproductive freedom and bodily autonomy I once took for granted are no longer guaranteed. My access to comprehensive reproductive health training is severely restricted, threatening my ability to provide patients with the highest standard of care throughout my career. In the wake of the Dobbs decision, Kentucky enacted a trigger law that bans abortion care outright. For some providers, this has had a chilling effect that makes them fear even providing certain information to pregnant patients.
The consequences of these restrictions extend beyond individual patients and providers. Access to safe abortion care is a key component of women’s healthcare and is supported by the leading health expert associations. To ensure ob/gyn residents have the skills needed to provide the best possible care for patients, the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) requires that all ob/gyn residency programs provide access to abortion training. However, due to Kentucky’s restrictive laws, comprehensive abortion training is no longer available in the state. This has far-reaching implications for public health: without this training or the ability to provide comprehensive care, residents may be left with no choice but to leave and pursue education elsewhere.
This leaves me grappling with a difficult choice: stay in the place where I grew up, surrounded by my family and community, or leave Kentucky to pursue an education that ensures I can become the ob/gyn I aspire to be.
The challenges posed by limited access to reproductive healthcare and training in Kentucky extend far beyond my personal experience. Countless patients are forced to endure unwanted or unsafe pregnancies, while medical trainees and students like myself face significant barriers to gaining essential reproductive health education. These limitations not only compromise patient care but also drive away some obstetricians from our commonwealth, exacerbating an already critical shortage of women’s health providers.
Ultimately, these restrictions harm women — denying them the care, autonomy, and the highest standard of medical support they deserve.
As Kentuckians, it is our responsibility to stand with trainees and patients, advocating for the highest level of comprehensive care and training within our communities. Ensuring access to reproductive health education and care isn’t just about upholding medical standards; it’s about safeguarding the fundamental rights and well-being of every woman in our state.
Lilly Deljoo is a second-year medical student at the University of Louisville (UofL) in Kentucky. She is president of Medical Students for Choice and the UofL School of Medicine Chapter Secretary of the Kentucky Medical Association and the American Medical Association.
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