AACR is deeply concerned about the ramifications of the recent Supreme Court decision (Dobbs v Jackson) and about any future legislative actions by individual states that could have a harmful medical effect on patients with cancer and limit their access to equitable, quality health care. It is of paramount importance that medical decisions are made between patients and their health-care providers. This is especially true when cancer is diagnosed during pregnancy when the life of the mother, who must receive timely cancer treatment, and the viability and ongoing development of the fetus are in serious jeopardy. Restricting a woman’s ability to make personal and potentially lifesaving health-care decisions, as well as her reproductive rights, has the potential to significantly limit options for patients with cancer and may, in some cases, prevent them from receiving critically important cancer therapies.
AACR urges an open, productive national dialogue between policymakers, the health-care community, and the public about this issue that impacts researchers, physicians, and patients. We encourage our members and others to express their views to policymakers in their own states so that all of our citizens will continue to receive safe, evidence-based health care.
