A birth defect is a structural or chromosomal change present at birth that can affect almost any part or parts of the body. Birth defects can vary from mild to severe. On June 24, 2022, with its Dobbs v Jackson Women's Health Organization decision the Supreme Court of the United States overturned Roe v. Wade, removing the longstanding landmark 1973 ruling that secured a person's constitutional right to an abortion. With this decision individual states can now decide their own abortion laws. In about one-half of the states that continue the legality of pregnancy termination, the process of offering, discussing, and performing terminations of pregnancy remain the same as previously. In states where abortions are not legal, there will be conflicts between the law and the ethical responsibility of physicians to offer and discuss termination of pregnancy for severe anomalies.

出生缺陷是出生时出现的结构或染色体变化，几乎可以影响身体的任何部位。出生缺陷可能从轻微到严重不等。2022 年 6 月 24 日，美国最高法院在 Dobbs 诉 Jackson 妇女健康组织一案中推翻了 Roe 诉 Wade 案，取消了 1973 年具有里程碑意义的长期裁决，该裁决确保了一个人的宪法权利流产。有了这个决定，各个州现在可以决定自己的堕胎法。在大约一半的继续终止妊娠合法性的州中，提供、讨论和执行终止妊娠的过程与以前相同。在堕胎不合法的州，法律与医生为严​​重异常提供和讨论终止妊娠的道德责任之间会存在冲突。