Rheum in the Court, Law in the Clinic: Health Policy in Global Rheumatology

Repercussions of abortion restrictions include high rates of abortion complications and pregnancy-related deaths. States with stringent abortion restrictions typically have a lower minimum wage and fewer labor protections.² Dr. Edens pointed out that for individuals who can become pregnant, these factors contribute to an increased wage gap and greater difficulty accessing higher education and entering the workforce.

In contrast to the U.S., the past two decades have seen tremendous advances for abortion rights in Mexico. In 1931, the Federal Penal Code criminalized abortion for both the patient and the provider, and revoked the licenses of healthcare workers who were found to have performed abortions. But by 2000, new legal exceptions were introduced, and in 2007, Mexico City legislature passed legislation that permitted elective abortion within the first 12 weeks of pregnancy.³

People from all over Mexico traveled to Mexico City to obtain legal, safe abortions. “Capacity, efficiency and quality improved rapidly,” said Dr. Zamora-Medina, resulting in a sharp decline in maternal morbidity. The Interrupción Legal del Embarazo (ILE) program, a public sector program to provide free abortion services, was a great success. Seven thousand patients received legal abortion services in the program’s first year alone.³ In 2023, elective abortion was decriminalized in Mexico at the federal level.

Juvenile Arthritis Foundation Australia Spurs National Change

Ms. Munro

The next speaker, Jane Munro, MBBS (Hons), FRACP, MPH, MHSM, discussed her work as a member of the Medical and Scientific Panel for the Juvenile Arthritis Foundation Australia (JAFA), a nonprofit organization devoted to improving juvenile arthritis care on a federal level in Australia. Founders Stephen Colagiuri, MD, and Ruth Colagiuri were inspired to start JAFA after their granddaughter was diagnosed with juvenile arthritis. They were shocked by the lack of resources available to juvenile arthritis patients and their families.

JAFA lobbied the Australian parliament for national change. One significant event in 2021 brought juvenile arthritis patients themselves before their federal representatives, where they talked about the disease’s impact on their lives. In the years since, millions of Australian dollars have been allocated to juvenile arthritis research grants, and JAFA’s efforts to spread awareness and make care more accessible have received broad government support. Dr. Munro explained that one crucial facet of JAFA’s work is securing funding to train medical professionals in the treatment of juvenile arthritis and stressed the importance of a multidisciplinary team.