New Article in Health Equity Elevates Priority Research Questions Four Years After Dobbs

In the four years since the 2022 U.S. Supreme Court ruling in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization, state policymakers have passed many laws affecting abortion care provision and access. In the midterm elections, everyday people had their say as well, voting to protect access to abortion care in three out of the four states with related ballot measures. Beyond the immediate consequences for abortion services, evidence suggests ripple effects on sexual and reproductive health care and equity broadly: on contraceptive access, maternal health, the health care workforce, and other dimensions of health care and policy. As state legislatures and the ballot box become more prominent forums for determining access, decision makers, and those who influence them, need trustworthy, robust evidence. A new commentary highlights ongoing research needs for the field’s consideration in 2026 and beyond. 

In 2022-2023, both AcademyHealth, with support from the Commonwealth Fund, and the Coalition to Expand Contraceptive Access (CECA) convened diverse sexual and reproductive health services experts, including researchers, health care providers, legal and policy experts, reproductive justice advocates, community organizers, and private sector leaders. 

Through collaborative processes, input from more than 100 interest holders generated combined research priorities across six domains:

1. Access, availability, and safety of abortion services;
2. Other reproductive health care and outcomes, including maternal and perinatal health care;
3. Non-reproductive health care and outcomes, including mental and behavioral health, disability, and chronic disease;
4. Health care workforce implications;
5. Care financing and delivery issues; and
6. Broader societal impacts, including employment, education, and poverty. 

Co-authors of a commentary published in Health Equity last month reflect on the persistent importance of these research priorities and elevate equity-informed principles for conducting this research. The piece additionally outlines how researchers, funders, policymakers, and advocates can use the priorities to shape a coordinated body of evidence that can help safeguard and advance access to care. A recent example of the real-world impact such research can have is featured in our recent Evidence Effect piece with Dr. Maria Rodriguez, which highlights how health services research drives real-world change. Dr. Rodriguez's research found that over-the-counter oral contraceptive pills are reaching populations that have historically faced barriers to care and are seeing strong uptake in areas with more limited reproductive health service access, providing evidence to inform future contraceptive access policies. 

Many of these priorities depend on data that is difficult to access, incomplete, or sensitive to collect. The authors argue that policy change requires “a preponderance of evidence that stems from coordinated and collaborative efforts across the SRH field.” AcademyHealth’s HSR Acceleration Center is building the infrastructure for these connections through the development of coordinated research networks, curated data atlases, investigator matchmaking, and highlighting funding mechanisms that pool resources around shared challenges.

Read the full commentary in Health Equity here.