Dr. Mehmet Oz, administrator for the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), bragged it was “pretty cool” to use robots for medical care for pregnant women in Alabama — because many OBGYN doctors fled the state due to draconian anti-abortion laws.
Dr Oz: "Alabama has no OBGYNs in many of their counties, so they're doing something pretty cool. They're actually having robots do ultrasounds on these pregnant moms." pic.twitter.com/sEwd4OJss9
— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) January 16, 2026
Alabama has suffered a significant drop in the number of obstetrician-gynecologists working there since Roe v. Wade was overturned and cleared the way for states to ban abortion, resulting in doctors being unable to provide standard care.
Melanie D’Arrigo, executive director of the Campaign for New York Health, said: “It’s not safe to be an OB-GYN in red states, so they are turning to robots to care for pregnant woman. This is not an innovation success story. It’s a dystopian horror story.”
A 2024 analysis by the Association of American Medical Colleges found that in the year following the US Supreme Court’s Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization decision, applicants for OB-GYN residency programs plummeted 21.2%.
(Source: Twitter/X)