The ship would operate in federal waters — up to nine miles off the coasts of Texas, Alabama, Louisiana and Mississippi — and beyond their jurisdiction.
A UCSF OBGYN professor has launched an initiative to provide abortions for women from the Deep South in federal waters off the Gulf Coast.
Meg Autry, MD, who describes herself as "a lifelong educator, a lifelong career abortion advocate," began PRROWESS before the recent U.S. Supreme Court ruling that overturned the right to an abortion, but she said the Dobbs ruling has increased the urgency.
"Part of the reason we’re working on this project so hard is because wealthy people in our country are always going to have access [to abortions], so once again it’s a time now where poor, people of color, marginalized individuals, are going to suffer — and by suffering I mean like lives lost," Autry told NBC Bay Area.
PRROWESS would operate in federal waters — anywhere from three to nine miles off the coasts of Texas, Alabama, Louisiana and Mississippi — and beyond the jurisdiction of those states. Autry and other licensed clinicians would offer surgical abortions for up to 14 weeks of pregnancy, and other gynecological services such as testing and treatment for sexually transmitted infections.
It's not immediately clear how much PRROWESS hopes to raise, or how much it has raised to date.
"PRROWESS is a solution for individuals seeking reproductive healthcare and surgical abortion where it is illegal or impossible," the initiative's website states. "Those in the most southern parts of Mississippi, Alabama, Louisiana, and Texas may be closer to the coast than to facilities in bordering states where abortion and reproductive healthcare are available."
"PRROWESS is committed to providing a safe haven for individuals in states where their rights are severely impacted by legislation limiting their access to reproductive healthcare. PRROWESS believes that no matter how draconian measures targeting reproductive rights become, together we can and will re-assert control over our bodies and lives," the website says.
“Part of the reason we're working on this project so hard is because wealthy people in our country are always going to have access [to abortions], so once again it's a time now where poor, people of color, marginalized individuals, are going to suffer — and by suffering I mean like lives lost.”
Meg Autry, MD.
John Commins is the news editor for HealthLeaders.
KEY TAKEAWAYS
Meg Autry, MD, began PRROWESS before SCOTUS overturned the right to an abortion, but she said the Dobbs ruling has increased the urgency.
Under PRROWESS, clinicians would provide abortions for up to 14 weeks of pregnancy, and other gynecological services such as testing and treatment for STDs.