When Roe v. Wade was overturned, we lost our federal constitutional right to abortion. Seven months later, here’s what’s happening.
According to the NY Times, abortions are now prohibited in at least 13 states. Up to 18 states have severe restrictions on abortion care including 9 states that have banned abortion after six weeks of pregnancy, before many women know they are pregnant. Because of the state level abortion bans, many abortion clinics have had to close or relocate. This leaves states like Mississippi, Louisiana, North Dakota, Wisconsin, and West Virginia without any abortion clinics. According to Forbes, states with abortion access have been crowded with out-of-state residents. Clinics in these surge states have reported up to three week wait times. According to STAT, the abortion bans in each state are so vague that physicians are unsure when they are or aren’t allowed to perform abortions during medical emergencies. Physicians could face felony charges if they violate the law, resulting in widespread reports of pregnant people either being denied medically necessary abortions or having care delayed. According to the Washington Post, abortion bans have impacted healthcare beyond reproductive care, keeping Americans in some states from obtaining treatments for conditions like rheumatoid arthritis, lupus, and even cancer because the medications can be used to induce a miscarriage.
Abortion bans disproportionately affect people who experience the structural inequalities of poverty, racism, and xenophobia. Research from the University of Colorado-Boulder found that a national ban would increase maternal mortality by 24% in the United States. According to Forbes, it is probable that we will continue to see more abortion bans or restrictions in 2023, such as ones targeting people’s ability to get abortions out of state.
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