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Physicians Alison Block and Nikki Zite knew what they were getting into when they became abortion providers early in their medical training. Family planning has long been a politicized, divisive area of medicine. And even though they knew that Roe v. Wade — the 1973 Supreme Court case that protected abortion access across the country — was being threatened, it still hit them hard when that ruling was actually overturned in June 2022.

“I thought I was preparing myself. For years I was telling anybody who would listen, ‘Roe is getting overturned! Roe is getting overturned!’ ” Block said. “But just because you say that you know a hard thing is coming, doesn’t mean you’re actually emotionally prepared for that hard thing.”

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The pair joined me on the First Opinion Podcast for a conversation about the frustrating and heartbreaking consequences of living in a post-Roe America for providers, trainees, and patients.

Our conversation was based on Block’s recent First Opinion essay, “Brain drain, skills loss, and other unintended consequences of overturning Roe v. Wade.” You can hear more from Block and Zite on the podcast “The Nocturnists.”

Be sure to sign up for the weekly “First Opinion Podcast” on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Play, or wherever you get your podcasts.

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