By: Genevieve Bigue, Emma Quanbeck, and Arissa Low
Abortion was first made legal in the US in 1973 after the Supreme Court Case Roe vs. Wade. Since then, abortion has been a highly controversial topic and has been the spark of protesting across America. The Hyde Amendment was enacted in 1976 and has blocked federal Medicaid funding from abortion nationwide. In 2007, the US Supreme Court passed a federal law banning abortion in “partial-birth.” It is argued that this ban gave anti-abortion politicians a loophole to pass other abortion restrictions. In 2019, 11 US states passed laws restricting access to abortions based on how far along the pregnancy can be terminated. This was added to a total of 43 states nationwide, with abortion restrictions.
Protests from abortion rights activists in Washington
Taken by: Shawn Thew/EPA, via Shutterstock
On March 22, both Texas and Ohio banned medical procedures that aren’t necessary which includes abortion. Two days later, Oklahoma ordered the same ban where Gov. Kevin Stitt made sure to specifically include “prohibiting abortion specifically” (Planned Parenthood). Soon after, Iowa and Alabama followed the non-essential surgical procedure ban. A hundred and fifty appointments were canceled in Texas and there were reports that “patients cried and expressed feelings of helplessness” (Planned Parenthood). Planned Parenthood, the Center of Reproductive Rights, and the Lawyering Project filed a lawsuit against the ban where a judge blocked Texas “from banning abortion as part of the state’s response to the coronavirus outbreak.” However, a day later, a federal appeals court temporarily reinstated the ban.
In Ohio, “American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), ACLU of Ohio, and Planned Parenthood Federation of America (PPFA), along with local Ohio lawyers” (Planned Parenthood) went to court to ensure that abortion clinics could stay open, so time-sensitive appointments could receive treatment. The judge “granted Ohio abortion providers a temporary restraining order to allow abortion services to continue for the time being” (Planned Parenthood).
In early March, Alabama banned non-essential health care which didn’t include abortions. However, clinics began receiving phone calls “from protesters threatening to report them to the health department for remaining open” (Planned Parenthood). Later, Alabama's attorney general expanded the ban to include all non-essential medical procedures forcing clinics to close. The ACLU and Alabama abortion providers sued the state Departments of Public Health where they won and were able to block the policy, making it safe and legal to receive abortion care in Alabama.
This event connects to the global theme of how fear can cause and prevent conflict. The rising fear and panic about the Coronavirus have led politicians against Pro-choice to use the COVID-19 pandemic to restrict women’s rights to abortion, creating conflict as many women feel helpless and restricted. Many begin to question whether the administrations that put these orders in place trying to prevent further outbreak of Coronavirus, or if they are they using this pandemic as an excuse to suppress women’s right to choose and access abortions.
Discussion Questions:
Do you think abortion should be considered an essential health service?
Should abortions have restrictions for the time period in which you can get them?
Sources:
I think abortions should have restrictions for a time period which you can get them. Once the fetus reaches a certain stage of maturity I think that a women should no longer abort. Obviously, abortion is a life changing decision that many women must consider with importance. In most cases where women know they are pregnant and do not want the baby, their decision to abort should be made early on, and it should be their right to choose that path. If a women waits till the fetus is more developed, she should continue with pregnancy, and choose other options after birth, because obviously she wasn't really sure she wanted to terminate. While there are many options for unwanted pregnancies after birth like adoption, pregnancy still puts a lot of toll on a women and costs a lot, while also putting their life on hold for nine months. So if it is early on, and in the time period allowed to terminate, abortions should be considered essential health services for women. If they wait too long the time period may be passed.
ReplyDeletePrompt 1:
ReplyDeleteAlthough abortions are somewhat a health service, it isn't really essential, especially with the pandemic happening right now. Abortion is defined as "a procedure to end pregnancy," commonly occuring when a soon-to-be mom decides not for some reasons, after the baby is already growing. "Essential health service[s]," however, is something that's urgent; a person could be facing life threatening issues/ sicknesses if not attended to-- such as the the Covid-19 virus. The current virus situation is very serious, and should be a top priority for "health services." Abortions on the other hand, isn't really that "life-threatening," compared to the virus anyways. On a normal setting, abortions still shouldn't really be considered as "essential," although it can be needing "health service[s]".
Johnny H. per:5
I don't think abortion should be counted as an essential health service because it's not that essential. The coronavirus should be more focused on at this time. I understand that women may want to abort their child because they might not feel ready or the baby is a reminder of their past. But, if money continues to go to Planned Parenthood for those procedures, that money could've been used to get more resources for hospital. For instance, there are many states that hold many patients affected by the virus, yet there aren't enough ICU beds available. Overall, I don't think abortions should be counted as "essential health services" because the virus and even swarms of locusts are troubling the world, so even if they don't want the child, I'm sure other people are willing to care for the baby.
ReplyDelete(warning: I am highly opinionated about this topic, and everything written below is MY opinion :)
ReplyDeleteAs a woman, I believe that abortion should absolutely be considered an essential health service. A fetus/baby/child is an extremely large responsibility. All women should have the choice to abort the fetus if they were raped, aren't ready for that responsibility, aren't financially stable, or simply aren't ready for a child. Bodily autonomy is a human right, and an unwanted fetus violates that right. Also, abortions will/have occurred all over the world, whether it is provided or not. However, the risks of performing one without a licenced professional is extremely harmful to the woman and death rates are extremely high. Also, I believe it is absurd to compare an abortion to the corna virus. (Being pregnant currently has a higher death rate than the virus for starters, but that isn't the point.)I believe that the choice to have abortion should be a woman's right no matter the circumstance. Invalidating a woman's mental or physical health by saying that they can't have the choice to have an abortion is (in my opinion) absurd. Yes, the corona virus is extremely important and everyone should be educated about this pandemic, however being pregnant and having the corona virus is so different. It is immensely ignorant to compare these two things together because they share absolutely nothing in common.
(I can become very opinionated so please excuse me, especially at the end. I am a human and have emotions toward subjects like everyone else)
ReplyDeleteLike Mina I believe that it is a right to have bodily autonomy and no circumstances should prevent it. I understand the views of the people who think it is a lesser issue because it doesn't seem like a really pressing matter but it is just as important to the people it actually affects. I see how someone could say other people would be willing to care for the baby but carrying the child to term could be emotionally triggering memories and cause more damage to the woman's mental health. The child could also be hurting the woman physically, she may be high risk or she may not be able to safely birth the child. There are so many reasons that a woman should not have her health, mental and physical be put as "less". She is just as important and in need as any other patient in the hospital with COVID19 or any other disease. Just because we are dealing with a pandemic does not mean we can ignore human rights. It is ludicrous that we could label someones health as "less" because they could "just carry the kid, its not pressing". You have no idea what that woman could have gone through so do not, I repeat do not tell me that her health is not pressing. Because you would have a different opinion if it was you in her shoes. Before you put someones needs as less you need to think about what they could have gone through and what is happening to them, truly put yourself in their shoes and get a reality check.