HI SR32

Urges the University of Hawaii at Manoa John A. Burns School of Medicine to prioritize efforts to strengthen Hawaii's reproductive care workforce, particularly in rural and remote areas of the state.

Encourages the school to increase financial assistance for students pursuing academic programs in fields related to reproductive care.

Requires the John A. Burns School of Medicine to submit a report to the Legislature no later than twenty days before the convening of the 2024 Regular Session, including findings, recommendations, and proposed legislation on reproductive care workforce strengthening efforts.

Notes that as of 2022, abortion providers and reproductive care clinics in Hawaii are limited to Honolulu, Maui, and the Hilo area, and that the number of abortion providers has declined since the 1990s.

References Hawaii's 1970 legalization of abortion three years before Roe v. Wade and the disproportionate impact of the Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization decision on Native Hawaiian, Pacific Islander, Black, Latino, and indigenous communities.