With Roe v. Wade in place women have been legally able to get an abortion in the US for 33 years. But between restrictive laws and anti-choice appointments, one could argue that a woman’s right to choose is no longer a realistic choice.
Current Status
There are now 33 states that enforce parental consent or notification laws for minors, 12 states have some law (7 are unenforceable) on partial birth abortion and 29 states have mandatory delays and/or require a physician give biased information to the woman seeking an abortion. TRAP ("Targeted Regulation of Abortion Providers") laws are now in effect in 34 states. In Mississippi, for example, one TRAP law requires the facility be located in an attractive setting. In South Carolina a facility must keep its outside areas free of grass that might harbor insects. Missouri requires that procedure-room ceilings be at least nine feet high. Louisiana tried to mandate drinking-fountain water jets "be of an approved angle and jet type", but that one didn’t pass the federal district court.
What's at Stake?
Laws like these that create unreasonably high costs are taking their toll. According to the Washington Post, we now have three states (Mississippi, North and South Dakota) that have only one remaining abortion provider. The anti-abortion movement in South Dakota is so strong that doctors there have stopped performing abortions for fear of being ostracized. Doctors are flown in from Minnesota to perform abortions in the only clinic left – a Planned Parenthood in Sioux Falls. That’s a 700-mile round trip for a woman from Rapid City. Add to the drive time cost of gas (if she has a car) and a 24-hour waiting period – not to mention the $450 for the procedure itself – and you can quickly see how abortion, while legal, may be next to impossible for a poor woman in South Dakota.
No comments:
Post a Comment