Post-Roe Indiana: An Ethnography of Patient Treatment During Pregnancy Losses, Termination, and Complications

This study will aim to employ qualitative interviews and participant observation in two Indiana hospital settings where people seek assistance for pregnancy loss, terminations, and complications: Emergency Medicine and Obstetrics. Given the uncertain future of abortion bans in Indiana, Dr. Freedman and her team aim to understand the decision-making processes and ethical dilemmas providers face, in particular how they navigate the dueling perils of patient harm and provider criminalization. The project will focus on how provider bias, threats of provider criminalization, and systemic racism contribute to the criminalization of patients. Findings will be disseminated via bioethics and medical forums, public-facing commentaries, and provider trainings.