Management Sciences for Health Supports the Right to Safe and Affordable Reproductive Health Care

Arlington, VA—June 28, 2022—Management Sciences for Health (MSH) condemns the United States Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe vs. Wade and end the constitutionally protected right to access safe and legal abortion. Friday’s ruling has already led to many states setting up increasingly restrictive laws, and we can expect to see many more in the coming months.

As a global health organization with a 50-year history of supporting the health of women and girls, MSH supports policies and health systems that ensure access to safe, affordable, high-quality reproductive health care. Research shows that restricting access to safe abortion services does not significantly reduce the number of abortions but does reduce the number of safe abortions and, therefore, has a deleterious impact on women’s health and increases maternal mortality rates. The United States already has the worst maternal mortality rate in the industrialized world, and the Court’s decision is likely to increase that rate. This decision and the accompanying laws will further exacerbate inequities in health care in the US, as these bans will most heavily impact Black communities, Indigenous communities, people of color, young people, and people experiencing financial hardship.

We know that the Court’s decision and the laws being implemented at the state level will not stop women from having abortions. As an organization that has worked to promote reproductive and child health for half a century, we have seen firsthand the dangers of such policies. Outlawing abortions doesn’t stop them. It only makes them harder to access and risks the lives and health of the women who choose them and the health workers who perform them.

The United States’ decision comes at a time when the global trend is to expand sexual and reproductive health and rights. In the past three decades, more than 60 countries have liberalized laws for sexual and reproductive health and rights, and many have moved toward decriminalizing abortion. These rights have made families, communities, and economies stronger. MSH remains committed to supporting and implementing policies that keep women and families safe and healthy.