HUNTSVILLE, Ala. (WHNT) — The U.S. House of Representatives continues to investigate the potential impact of banning nationwide access to abortions in the wake of a leaked Supreme Court document detailing a possible overturn of Roe v. Wade.

The Alabama Women’s Center for Reproductive Alternatives medical director Dr. Yashica Robinson said she expects to see an increase in the mortality rate of of pregnant women if access to abortion is further restricted.

In her testimony, Robinson called access to abortion services a part of “essential healthcare.”

She said she believes criminalizing abortion would cause harm in the state of Alabama, particularly to marginalized groups.

“By attempting to criminalize practitioners who provide abortion care, the bans we have seen passed in Alabama and in other states threaten people in communities that are already suffering from a lack of health care resources, and it compounds the complex scenarios obstetricians like me routinely balance as we make the best decisions we can in managing complicated pregnancies,” Robinson said.

Robinson operates a full-service OBGYN clinic in Huntsville. The clinic is one of the only in the state that offers abortion services.

Robinson said women drive upwards of 12 hours to her clinic for services because restrictions in their own states prevent them from seeking help closer to home.

In her testimony, Robinson also noted that Black women are three times more likely than white women to die of pregnancy-related causes in the U.S.