How do Restrictions on Abortions Influence and Increase
Dangerous Alternatives?
Persuasive Essay
Laurie Swede
Under the current abortion laws in many states, women are ostracized by the government that is sworn to protect their people and oppressed by the conservative lawmakers who preach life but not science. The inability to obtain an abortion in certain states due to their restrictions is a blatant violation of the Fourteenth Amendment, which renders these restrictions unconstitutional. Although Roe v. Wade paved the way for lifting abortion restrictions, The Hyde Amendment, individual state laws, as well as the Affordable Care Act have made obtaining safe, legal abortions difficult, particularly for lower-income women. Due to social, political, and financial factors, women are forced to choose a detrimental option for their own bodies if they want to receive an abortion in some areas of the country. By restricting access to safe abortions, the government indirectly encourages alternative abortion practices, thereby putting women who seek these unsafe methods at risk of detrimental effects on their health.
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There are many methods of unsafe abortion and almost 68,000 women die annually as a result of these unsafe abortions, which are abortions performed without a licensed health practitioner and the proper materials (Haddad and Nour). Certain methods of unsafe abortions are the consumption of toxic chemicals to rid the body of the fetus, and other methods which “involve inflicting direct injury to the vagina or elsewhere—for example, inserting herbal preparations into the vagina or cervix; placing a foreign body such as a twig, coat hanger, or chicken bone into the uterus; or placing inappropriate medication into the vagina or rectum” (Haddad and Nour). Women with unwanted pregnancies, including victims of rape or incest, may turn to unsafe abortions, “drinking toxic fluids such as turpentine, bleach, or drinkable concoctions mixed with livestock manure” (Haddad and Nour). These methods usually lead to physical impairments, sepsis, and death. Out of 42 million women who chose abortions, half of those were unsafe and increased maternal mortality (Haddad and Nour).
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Women should not have to die for access to their own bodies. Within the Supreme Court case of Roe v. Wade, the issue of privacy was addressed and ruled in favor of the plaintiff. The ruling should have resulted in the complete removal of restrictions on abortions because restrictions violate the privacy of women. This issue is addressed within the Fourteenth Amendment in the Due Process Clause which addresses the right to privacy from the government (“Cases”).
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Underground abortions have increased due to government restrictions on abortion access. Governmental restrictions on abortion should be illegal because they violate women’s privacy and the right to make decisions about their own bodies, which was addressed in the Supreme Court case of Roe v. Wade. Due to the restrictions of states, women look to other alternatives concerning their abortions, such as the internet and underground abortions. Journalist Nina Liss-Schultz describes, “A flourishing world of underground abortion...allowing women to bypass the clinic altogether.” While “some women are teaching each other at-home procedures,” Liss-Shultz points out, “many more are turning to the internet, where a handful of suppliers have jumped into the market to send abortion pills straight to women's homes.” These women are so desperate that they turn to the black market to terminate their pregnancies, which is uncharted and very dangerous. With the black market, kits or pills are mailed to women from unknown sources, where evidence suggests that some women are poisoned or harmed by these products they receive over the internet, but the abortion is then performed regardless of these overarching possibilities. According to Liss-Shultz, “Abortion by mail is the future. With or without an unfavorable Supreme Court ruling, the black market is here to stay.” Because internet sales and services are difficult to monitor, “International online pill providers are difficult targets for law enforcement. And the demand for convenient, safe, and private abortion is unlikely to wane, whether or not in-clinic abortion gets harder to come by” (Liss-Schultz). The black market is the tool that many women use to receive abortions if they are not able to do so in the area where they live due to the government restrictions that have been established in the area.
A child is an enormous financial commitment which a woman should not be thrown into if she is not ready or in the right financial position. Enacted in 1977, The Hyde Amendment bans federal dollars for abortion coverage for those insured by Medicaid, government employees, and women under the Indian Health Service (Boonstra). This amendment impacts the lives of lower-income women by depriving them of the ability to get an abortion because of their financial status, “the Hyde Amendment, wrote Justice Thurgood Marshall, ‘is designed to deprive poor and minority women of the constitutional right to choose abortion.’” (Boonstra). This blatant statement highlights the injustices within our government against women and their freedom to choose what happens with their own bodies. Further, as Justice Marshall indicates, the amendment promotes inequality of abortion coverage. The Hyde Amendment leads to unsafe abortions because there is no coverage for this procedure under Medicaid. Along with the Hyde Amendment, the Affordable Care Act which “provides numerous rights and protections that make health coverage more fair and easy to understand, along with subsidies (through ‘premium tax credits’ and ‘cost-sharing reductions’) to make it more affordable” (“Patient”) excludes abortions from the formalities addressed under the Affordable Care Act. This is another obstacle women have to face in an attempt to decide what to do with their own bodies and domain, which is ultimately protected under the rulings of Roe v. Wade. With a lesser income, these women most likely are not able to afford the out of pocket fees of the abortions since they are not covered by insurance as a result of the Hyde Amendment and Affordable Care Act.
The world of underground abortions is a result of the restrictions placed on women’s bodies by their social, political, and financial situation. The government has placed certain restrictions on abortion, even after the Supreme Court ruling of Roe v. Wade which supported women’s privacy from the government, resulting in the increase of black market use of mailing pills and kits to those seeking abortions. These restrictions, such as the Hyde Amendment which restricts low-income women, governmental employees, and women under the Indian Health Service from receiving abortions if they are on Medicaid, do nothing to benefit women and hinder their freedom of choice to what happens with their own body. Along with the Hyde Amendment, the Affordable Care Act explicitly does not cover abortions, which is another obstacle women have to face in attempting to receive a safe abortion. The financial status of women is vital to these restrictions, and the Hyde Amendment focuses on preventing low-income women from obtaining abortions due to the inability to pay for it out of pocket. All restrictions regarding abortions are unconstitutional due to the right to privacy through the Fourteenth Amendment and the Due Process Clause. All of these restrictions, coupled with the social taboo surrounding abortions, have increased dangerous alternatives to safe abortions such as drinking toxins, using a coat hanger to attempt to pull the fetus out, and mailed pills from the black market. Women’s freedom of choice is stifled by the social, political, and financial restrictions surrounding abortion that do nothing to benefit women.
Annotated Bibliography
Boonstra, Heather D. “Abortion in the Lives of Women Struggling Financially: Why Insurance Coverage Matters.” Guttmacher Institute, 21 Sept. 2018, www.guttmacher.org/gpr/2016/07/abortion-lives-women-struggling-financially-why- insurance-coverage-matters.
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This article thoroughly assesses the idea of insurance coverage regarding abortion and the Hyde Amendment which limits those on Medicaid to abortion access. The Affordable Care Act, which plays in with the Hyde Amendment, is also hindering abortion access to women. Insurance coverage for abortion should be available to women so they do not have to pay out of pocket.
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“Cases - Roe v. Wade.” Landmark Supreme Court Cases, www.landmarkcases.org/cases/roe-v-wade.
This document provides the reader with a useful resource for investigating the Supreme Court case of Roe v. Wade. This article is a great resource for finding out the technical details of the court case. It is a very useful resource and will help with the factual aspects of the paper.
Haddad, Lisa B, and Nawal M Nour. “Unsafe Abortion: Unnecessary Maternal Mortality.” Reviews in Obstetrics & Gynecology, MedReviews, LLC, 2009, www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2709326/.
This article provides great information regarding unsafe abortions and alternative abortion options. It helps the reader thoroughly comprehend the extremity of situations which some women put themselves through in order to rid themselves of their unwanted pregnancy. It discusses the many health consequences which could be inflicted upon women receiving unsafe abortions.
Liss-Schultz, Nina. "C PLAN." Mother Jones, Sept.-Oct. 2019, p. 20+. Gale In Context: Opposing Viewpoints,https://link.gale.com/apps/doc/A597963588/
GPS?u=va_p_wakef_s&sid=GPS&xid=af0e98a5. Accessed 17 Sept. 2019.
This document addresses the idea of abortion clinics and underground abortions. It highlights
that if abortion access is taken away altogether, then those seeking abortions will turn to unsafe
and risky ways of getting rid of a pregnancy. This article also illustrates state laws regarding abortions. I think this article will be very useful in my thesis because it provides an insight into underground abortions which hasn’t been covered by many other articles.
“Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act - HealthCare.gov Glossary.” HealthCare.gov, www.healthcare.gov/glossary/patient-protection-and-affordable-care-act/.
This website defines the Affordable Care Act which is vital to understanding the restrictions on abortions within the United States. The Affordable Care act leaves abortion out of the list of issues which they cover.