Manatt Health Partner Randi Seigel and Counsel Alice Leiter were featured in an episode of the Healthcare Strategies podcast, where they outlined the legal landscape for shield laws and their potential for protecting patient access to abortion care and related services.
In the episode, Seigel and Leiter discussed trends surrounding states’ implementation of shield laws and explained how they’re designed to help patients, providers and other related individuals navigate the variable legal landscape of abortion care. “Shield laws are not necessarily a one-size-fits-all all term, and they, of course, vary by state,” Leiter said. “But at their core, all abortion shield laws are designed to protect abortion seekers, providers or both in states where abortion remains legal from actions by states in which abortion is not legal.”
They also explained how these laws help to create a layer of confidence for those who might be fearful of civil or criminal penalties. “[Shield laws] certainly do protect patients’ access to abortion care, and they reduce both the real and the perceived risks to the patient related to being prosecuted within their state if they travel outside of the state to receive an abortion,” Seigel noted.
Listen to the complete Healthcare Strategies podcast episode here.
This podcast episode was also featured in Patient Engagement HIT.
Learn more about Manatt Health’s nationwide survey of state abortion shield laws and access the full results here.