Image Source: Getty / Matt Winkelmeyer [1]

Since the overturning of Roe v. Wade [2], many well-known figures [3] have used their platforms to speak up, sharing about the importance of reproductive healthcare for all (including safe abortion access). One of the most recent celebrities to do so is Cher [4], who shared the story of her experience with pregnancy loss on Twitter [5]. "When I was young I had 3 miscarriages.1st at 18," she wrote. "I was alone in our house.son came home & I was sobbing,& rocking on our floor.when I got 2 dr I was screaming in pain.couldn't even stop in elevator.dr sent me straight 2 hospital,& in2 operating rm.WHAT WOULD HAPPEN 2 ME TODAY😭."

Cher's question is a powerful one. Following the overturning of Roe v. Wade [6], restrictive and sometimes confusing legislation may make it more difficult for people with uteruses to seek out appropriate treatment for situations like miscarriages [7] and ectopic pregnancies [8]. The medical procedures used in these cases are not considered abortion, but even so, there have been reports of healthcare professionals in states with restrictive abortion bans hesitating to provide care [9], fearing potential legal repercussions.

In an interview with Bloomberg [10], Anuj Khattar, MD [11], remembered a time he helped a hospitalized patient in Oklahoma who needed a dilation and evacuation procedure because there was not a single local doctor that would perform it for her. "I remember asking the provider, 'What would you have done if I hadn't been in the state?'" Dr. Khattar says. "They would have probably removed her uterus."

In response to Cher's tweet, one fan wrote that they had no idea about the singer's miscarriages, to which she replied [12], "Never thought I'd need 2 [share]. These Insane republicans will kill our WOMEN 4 POLITICS‼️ MOTHERS,SISTERS AUNTS,COUSINS,BEST FRIENDS…NO WOMAN IS SAFE IN AMERICA‼️"

Messages like Cher's serve as a reminder that restrictive abortion bans are harmful for millions of people, and not just people who are actively seeking an abortion. There have also been reports of people with rheumatoid arthritis and lupus being denied access to an essential medication called methotrexate [13] because the drug could theoretically be used to terminate a pregnancy.

Though Cher shared many more of her thoughts on her account, the main takeaway was her concern for what is to come. She wrote: "WOMEN ARE SUFFERING & WILL EITHER BLEED OUT, WHILE DRS LOOK ON, OR BE SENT HOME TILL THEIR COMPLICATIONS ARE BRINGING THEM CLOSE TO ⚰️."