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About This Project
Summary
This powerful program uncovered the harrowing stories of pregnant women with life-threatening obstetric emergencies in states with laws restricting abortions, and the physicians caught in a legal web when trying to provide essential health care. When Roe v. Wade was overturned in 2022, 21 states began to enforce their own laws restricting access to abortion. This is, at its core, a maternal healthcare issue.
Goals & Objectives
Diane Sawyer wanted to understand and see the true scope of the problem -- a visual representation of the lives impacted from different backgrounds. We studied lawsuits, local news reports, spoke with dozens of organizations and doctors to identify women willing to share their stories.
Results & Impact
On The Brink revealed a broader maternal health crisis, with fewer medical residents willing to train in abortion-restricted states, contributing to a looming care shortage. Several of the doctors we interviewed pointed out the alarming rise of maternal mortality prior to the overturn of Roe v. Wade
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