NCSD: Dobbs Decision Erodes Trust in Sexual and Reproductive Healthcare, Endangering Millions

For Immediate Release: June 24, 2022
Contact: Elizabeth Finley, efinley@ncsddc.org, 919-749-7309

Washington, D.C. — Following today’s news that the Supreme Court of the United States has issued a majority opinion in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization overturning the landmark ruling of Roe v. Wade, the National Coalition of STD Directors (NCSD) today released the following statement expressing concerns about the inevitable erosion of access, privacy and trust in the nation’s healthcare systems.

“Today’s Supreme Court ruling represents the devastating fall of fifty years of precedent and long-held protections that prioritized the health and well-being of every person in the United States. It turns back the clock and reverses decades of critical progress on sexual and reproductive health services. It is nothing short of a hammer blow to privacy and freedoms millions of Americans rely on each and every day.

“At a time when we should be preserving and expanding health care access across America, this decision does just the opposite. Moreover, it foments stigma and mistrust while discouraging critical conversations between patient and provider. Low-income communities, communities of color and other vulnerable populations will feel these effects the fastest and the deepest as healthcare inequities are exacerbated and access diminishes nearly instantaneously in states throughout the country.

“In the months and years to come, these inequities will spill over state lines and a climate of stigma and fear will loom over our healthcare system. People avoid healthcare when they do not trust their providers or the health care system. When patients cannot have critical conversations with their doctors, when access, trust, and privacy are diminished, and when clinics are forced to shutter their doors, the health of Americans is jeopardized.

“As leaders in the work to end the epidemic of STDs in America, we recognize that the essential services provided in clinics that provide abortion are part of the fundamental infrastructure that upholds America’s health. In addition to limiting abortion, the immediate closure of clinics will also limit our neighbors’ access to reproductive health care, STD and HIV testing, PrEP and other HIV prevention services, gender-affirming care, and prenatal services. The impacts of this ruling will be profound and tangible, including worsening the nation’s congenital syphilis crisis and leaving people vulnerable to untreated infections that can have lifelong consequences. None of us can afford to be silent, nor should we.

“We all have a duty to act to mitigate the elimination of services and the erosion of confidence in our health systems. It’s the only way we can protect the health of our patients, our communities, and our nation.”

About The National Coalition of STD Directors

The National Coalition of STD Directors is a national public health membership organization representing health department STD directors, their support staff, and community-based partners across 50 states, seven large cities, and eight U.S. territories. Our mission is to advance effective STD prevention programs and services across the country. NCSD does this as the voice of our membership. We provide leadership, build capacity, convene partners, and advocate. Go to ncsddc.org for more information.

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