𝕌𝕊 𝕙𝕖𝕒𝕝𝕥𝕙𝕔𝕒𝕣𝕖 𝕨𝕠𝕣𝕜𝕖𝕣𝕤 𝕗𝕝𝕠𝕔𝕜 𝕥𝕠 ℕℤ 𝕒𝕞𝕚𝕕 𝕒𝕓𝕠𝕣𝕥𝕚𝕠𝕟 𝕕𝕖𝕓𝕒𝕥𝕖

ℍ𝕖𝕒𝕝𝕥𝕙𝕔𝕒𝕣𝕖 𝕡𝕣𝕠𝕗𝕖𝕤𝕤𝕚𝕠𝕟𝕒𝕝𝕤 𝕚𝕟 𝕥𝕙𝕖 𝕌𝕟𝕚𝕥𝕖𝕕 𝕊𝕥𝕒𝕥𝕖𝕤 𝕞𝕒𝕪 𝕓𝕖 𝕠𝕟 𝕥𝕙𝕖 𝕨𝕒𝕪 𝕥𝕠 ℕ𝕖𝕨 ℤ𝕖𝕒𝕝𝕒𝕟𝕕 𝕠𝕧𝕖𝕣 𝕚𝕟𝕔𝕣𝕖𝕒𝕤𝕚𝕟𝕘𝕝𝕪 𝕣𝕖𝕤𝕥𝕣𝕚𝕔𝕥𝕚𝕧𝕖 𝕒𝕓𝕠𝕣𝕥𝕚𝕠𝕟 𝕝𝕒𝕨𝕤 𝕚𝕟 𝕞𝕒𝕟𝕪 𝕌𝕊 𝕤𝕥𝕒𝕥𝕖𝕤.

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ozens of workers in the health sector told TVNZ's Sunday they are afraid for their bodily autonomy as the war over the right to abortion rages on.

On June 24, the US Supreme Court overturned Roe v Wade, the landmark 1973 ruling that recognised the right to abortion. Since June, it has opened the door for many conservative states to implement restrictive abortion laws.

Former nurse Prudence Thompson runs Accent, a Christchurch-based global medical recruitment firm.

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She says ever since Roe v Wade was overturned, she's been inundated with messages from American healthcare workers hoping to move to Aotearoa.

"Our inboxes started pinging, people who really valued the importance of the body and their rights.

"We’ve got nurses, physios, OT’s, general physicians, family physicians, psychiatrists ... they’re frightened, they’re terrified at work, and I think they’re looking for an out."

It comes as New Zealand faces its own healthcare industry woes - the sector massively understaffed and the current workforce under immense pressure.

Thompson says enquiries quadrupled since June 24, with people asking how quickly they can move, the pathway to residency, what skills are needed, and whether New Zealand will be a "safe haven" for them and their families.

Sunday spoke to dozens of American medical specialists - especially those specialising in women’s health - hoping to escape as the culture war continues.

Many say they're living in fear of being targeted by anti-abortion extremists.

Marissa Coles, a paediatric nurse from Texas, says she has to tread carefully when it comes to discussing abortion as "you never know who is listening and who may disagree with you."

"I could lose my job. I don't know, I get nervous. Doctors get killed and nurses get killed ... I get scared."

Texas was one of the first states to implement so-called trigger laws banning abortion after Roe v Wade was overturned.

Private citizens can earn up to US$10,000 (NZ$17,600) for reporting anyone involved in the procedure, making it extremely risky for doctors who face the threat of fines and jail time.

Dr Jessica Rubino from the Austin Women's Health Centre says there were times she had to wear a bulletproof vest at work.

"The more that the rhetoric around abortion gets into politics, the more protestors we’d have outside.

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"As guns become more and more legal in Texas ... that was an issue that we had to worry about."

"I would see anywhere from like 30 to 60 patients in a given day. I would say about half of those would've been consultations, the other half would've been abortions."

Texas' abortion ban means Dr Rubino can no longer do her job - she cannot intervene even in cases of rape and incest.

"We are in a completely unacceptable situation."

With options running out, American medical professionals are considering relocating to Aotearoa as their home towns rapidly become unrecognisable.

"I think that New Zealand has a lot of opportunities. I like their policies and a lot of positives, so many positives," Marissa Coles told Sunday.

America's abortion pain could be Aotearoa's gain.

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