At the Washington State Veterinary Medical Association, we are driven to advance the cause of veterinary medicine and those touched by it. While the core of our work is about animals, nothing can be done without the workforce that provides the necessary day-to-day support to ensure our businesses thrive. In the veterinary medicine sector, women make up the vast majority of the workforce – including veterinarians, technicians, assistants, practice managers, customer service representatives and other staff.
This summer, the United States Supreme Court overturned the landmark Roe vs. Wade decision during the Dobbs vs. Jackson case. We are already seeing this decision having impacts on women in the workforce across the country. Washington State officials have shared that they will protect a women’s access to abortion care, so it may seem like this issue won’t impact our community, but that is not what is happening so far.
Medical care providers in Washington are already seeing an increase in requests for reproductive health services from patients outside of the state, causing delays in some communities for people who live in those areas to receive services. Healthcare providers are anticipating this trend to increase, especially for people who are low-income.
In veterinary medicine, many individual salaries place a person near or below the poverty level, which means much of the female workforce in the veterinary medicine sector may face real challenges in accessing healthcare across Washington – even though abortion stays legal. We assert that this decision could negatively impact recruitment and retention of veterinary students, interns, residents, technicians, and clinic staff members – all positions where we need more qualified people. As all hospitals saw during the pandemic, staffing challenges resulted in real impacts on patient care and client satisfaction.
Wellness is a serious issue in veterinary medicine and creating limitations based on one aspect of identity (in this case gender) can – and will – cause negative mental and physical health issues for people in our sector. We know colleagues are already dealing with the stress of engaging with clients who cannot afford care for their pet because of pandemic challenges, health issues, losing housing due to the eviction moratorium ending or increasing inflation. What will be the short and long-term impacts on a sector that relies on a predominantly female workforce?
While we respect diversity of thought, we believe the rights and equality of women should be expanded, not taken away. We stand with our human medical colleagues that are now navigating laws that interfere with their ability to provide the full spectrum of confidential reproductive health care to their patients.
Statement by members of the WSVMA Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Committee
Posted December 9, 2022