Impact of West Virginia Abortion Ban on West Virginia Physician Trainee Practice Intentions

In June 2022, the Dobbs v Jackson Women's Health Organization overturned the constitutional right to abortion established by Roe vs. Wade. Shortly after, West Virginia (WV) began enforcing a near total ban on abortion. Statewide restrictions on access to reproductive health care have important implications for the recruitment and retention of physicians. This project aimed to determine overall awareness of the 2022 changes in abortion laws among physician trainees, and whether the law influenced the intention of resident/fellow physicians to practice medicine in the state following completion of their medical training. A total of 178 resident and fellow physicians at West Virginia University were recruited via an email invitation. Survey responses demonstrated that 91.6% of trainees were aware of the change in abortion legislation. Among all respondents, 52.2% reported being less likely to practice in WV because of the ban. Compared to residents, fellows were much more likely not to want to practice in WV (82.7% vs. 48.2%, pp =0.015). Open ended commentary revealed that this is an important issue for physician trainees. These findings have important implications for recruitment and retention of physicians to abortion-restricted states and may also suggest changes to where medical students are applying for residency.