This study examines an underexplored source of medical uncertainty: the political context of care. Since 2011, Ohio has passed over 16 abortion-restrictive laws. We know little about how this legislation affects reproductive health care outside of abortion clinics. Drawing on focus groups and interviews with genetic counselors and obstetrician-gynecologists, we examine how abortion legislation impacts their work. We find that interpretation and implementation of legislation is not straightforward and varies by institution and region of the state. An ever-changing legislative landscape combined with uneven implementation of restrictions into policy produces uncertainty in reproductive health care. We also found uncertainty about the legal consequences of abortion in restrictive contexts, with obstetrician-gynecologists reporting greater concerns given their proximity to care provision. We argue that uncertainty can result in stricter interpretations of regulations than necessitated by the law, thereby amplifying the impacts of an already restrictive context for abortion care.

中文翻译：

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混乱状态：俄亥俄州限制堕胎的情况和生殖保健的不确定性的产生。

这项研究探讨了医疗不确定性的一个未被充分探索的来源：护理的政治背景。自 2011 年以来，俄亥俄州已通过了超过 16 项限制堕胎的法律。我们对这项立法如何影响堕胎诊所之外的生殖保健知之甚少。通过焦点小组以及对遗传咨询师和妇产科医生的采访，我们研究了堕胎立法如何影响他们的工作。我们发现立法的解释和实施并不简单，并且因国家的机构和地区而异。不断变化的立法环境加上政策限制实施的不平衡，造成了生殖保健的不确定性。我们还发现，在限制性环境下堕胎的法律后果存在不确定性，妇产科医生报告称，由于他们距离医疗服务较近，因此他们更加担心。我们认为，不确定性可能会导致对法规的解释比法律所要求的更严格，从而放大本已限制性的堕胎护理环境的影响。