SEASON 4: EPISODE 51 | Airdate: 7/1/2022
The United States Supreme Court overturned its decision in the case of Roe versus Wade leaving the decision of abortion legality to individual states. The result of the decision has made it possible for several states to ban abortion or limit the procedure to the early stages of pregnancy.
Nevada currently permits abortion within 24 weeks of pregnancy. It is also legal to perform an abortion in Nevada after 24 weeks if the pregnancy endangers a patient’s life or gravely impairs the patient’s physical or mental health.
Three of Nevada’s neighboring states are set to ban or restrict pregnancy termination leaving patients to seek medical attention elsewhere.
Obstetrician-gynecologist who provides abortions in the state, Dr. Anna Contromitros says the new decision regarding Roe v. Wade is already impacting Nevada and her practice.
“We are receiving a much higher number of calls and a much higher number of patients coming from out of state. For example, states like Texas, Arizona, Utah, and even more distant states like West Virginia, Ohio,” she said.
Contromitros said many patients use our hospitality in Nevada to hide the reasons why they are coming to Nevada.
“So they're coming under the auspices of traveling to Nevada for fun,” Contomitros said.
There are nine clinics in Nevada that provide abortions, seven of which are located in Southern Nevada. The remaining clinics are located in Reno.
According to Dr. Joseph Adashek, American Medical Association delegate for Nevada, and Perinatologist, a specialist in high-risk pregnancy, Nevada is 49th in the country for doctors per population.
He also said abortion clinics are already overwhelmed and Las Vegas is “not prepared at all” for a new influx of patients.
Because of the high stakes of abortion, Contomitros said patients seeking procedures must be treated as soon as possible, prompting her to implement new scheduling procedures at her practice. She hopes the efforts enable her to serve the needs of routine pregnancy health care as well emergency care by dedicating specific days throughout the week to each.
The decision of Roe v. Wade presents new challenges for doctors treating out-of-state patients due to the consequences they face in their home states if it is discovered they had the unlawful procedure.
For example, if a patient has any complications post-abortion, they are strongly advised not to visit an emergency room in order to not face legal troubles that may result, but that means not being honest with medical providers about the medications they’ve taken and procedures they’ve had.
As a result of legal complications surrounding out-of-state patients seeking an abortion, Nevada Governor Steve Sisolak has implemented an executive order to protect doctors and patients from extradition in matters of prosecution outside of the state.
In 1990, Nevadans voted the current legal abortion legislature into state law and it can only be changed as a result of another ballot vote.
Political reporter for the Nevada Independent, Jacob Solis, believes that politicians who’d like to propose a new vote on the current abortion legislation may be wary to do so given the complicated nature of implementing the referendum as well as campaigning.
“Abortion is a tricky issue and it’s something that is difficult to message, even for those who are anti-abortion and for those who are pro-abortion,” Solis said.
While Democrats have been more vocal about the recent restrictions on abortions in other states, Republicans in the state have not voiced strong opposition about the issue. According to the political reporter for the Las Vegas Sun, Jessica Hill, recent surveys have placed the issue as a low priority in comparison to the current state of the economy.
A national effort to ban abortion will likely find more support from the Republican Party. Adam Laxalt, Republican candidate for one of Nevada’s Senate this fall, has stated in the past that he may support a national abortion ban.
However, Rep, Mark Amodei, a Republican representing Nevada’s 2nd Congressional District in Northern Nevada, has taken a quieter stance on the topic given the general support in the state of Nevada.
