July 4, 2025

Wangjunze

Legal Dreamteam

In rural America, the crisis of disappearing reproductive care steals lives

In rural America, the crisis of disappearing reproductive care steals lives
During pregnancy, this woman developed gestational diabetes. Now, her son is 1½ years old, and she continues getting care at Mabel Wadsworth Center in Bangor, Maine. Credit: Sofia Aldinio / The Washington Post

BANGOR, MAINE — All the reasons people in this rural region seek reproductive care — and the barriers they must overcome in accessing it — were on full display from the moment the first patient stepped into this clinic nestled amid towering evergreens.

There was the 32-year-old struggling to pay out of pocket for a medication abortion because her credit card wouldn’t go through. A first-time patient who was referred to the Mabel Wadsworth Center — more than an hour from home — because her provider wasn’t sure how best to treat her disabling premenstrual syndrome. Another woman who developed hypertension while pregnant arrived to have her blood pressure checked. And a couple was there for their first prenatal visit.

The nation is in a maternal mortality and morbidity crisis that grows year after […]