The number of abortions in America has increased despite the Roe overturn two years ago. Clinical treatment might not be on the rise, but women are still managing to get abortion pills and help via Telehealth. Here’s what’s happened.
Abortion Laws
The Brennen Center for Justice wrote a piece on “reproductive rights” within the U.S.A. The Roe legislation was the constitutional right to have an abortion. While this right varies in each state, the government has a say in when abortion is legal in terms of the pregnancy stage.
What Is Roe v. Wade?
Supreme Court Roe v. Wade established the right to abortion. The Brennon Center for Justice shows a timeline of events leading up to the legislation. Several events arose in the 1960s around congenital disabilities and abortions.
Illegal to Abort
According to the Brennen Center For Justice, abortion remained illegal in nearly all states of the U.S. during the 1960s. Female victims of abuse were also denied the freedom of aborting.
Rousing Interest and Garnering Support
Abortion was becoming more widespread and spoken about because of famous personalities. A popular television celebrity of the time, Sherri Finkbine, went to Sweden to abort her pregnancy. In a Gallup Poll at the time, according to The Brennen Center, “Many Americans supported Finkbine.”
Thalidomide “Morning Sickness Pill”
During the 1950s and 1960s, many women took the morning sickness pill to alleviate nausea during their pregnancies. However, it contained Thalidomide that caused birth deformities.
German Measles (Rubella)
Later, with German measles overtaking the country, many babies were born with health defects like liver damage and heart conditions.
Call for Change
Years later, public polls, according to the University Of Chicago – General Social Survey Final Report, showed people’s take on abortion. These abortion polls covered a series of questions.
Opinions on Abortion
The questions in the survey included: Would people abort their pregnancy if the baby had serious chances of congenital abnormalities? Another question was, would abortion be viable if a woman got pregnant through violent acts of sexual abuse?
More Survey Questions
If the woman’s health was in danger, would abortion be legal, and should couples abort if the married couple didn’t want more children? Apart from these questions, there were several more before the results were revealed.
Rise in Abortions
In recent years, according to The 19th news outlet, 2023 marked some of the highest abortion rates the country has seen in years.
Despite Bans and Laws
Despite the law of Roe being overthrown, women still obtain prescription pills to abort their pregnancy or online assistance via Telehealth.
Traveling to Have the Procedure Done
According to reports, women traveled across states to get their pregnancies aborted. The Society of Family Planning reports show that many women travel to complete the procedure. Traveling is not only time-consuming but also expensive. Many low-income individuals cannot always afford it.
Motivation to Travel
Women chose to travel when they couldn’t get medical assistance within their home state or when their state had banned the procedure.
Done at Home
The Society of Family Planning has also reported data that instead of traveling, many women have also resorted to ordering abortion pills online via Telehealth as a more convenient and less expensive way to get the procedure done.
#WeCount Statistics
#WeCount counts the number of abortion procedures done via Telehealth, and the reports, according to the Society of Family Planning, show a large increase in abortions between October 2023 and December 2023 that was estimated at around “87,600 and 92,640 per month.”
Non-Profits Can’t Cope
The 19th News also noted that as a result of more than 1 million abortions per year since the end of the Roe law, non-profits are struggling to cope with the volume and cannot always afford to help everyone seeking assistance.
States That Bans
Several American States have restriction laws on abortion, including Alabama, North Dakota, Mississippi, Oklahoma, Missouri, Wisconsin, and Texas.
State Restrictions Differ
The state of Florida bans abortion within the six-week period. North Carolina and Nebraska have instilled a 12-week abortion ban, with Indiana having a complete ban on abortion no matter the trimester.
Clinics Receive High-Volume Patients
According to The 19th News, the majority of patients at the Hale’s Charlotte Clinic are from outside the Carolina State. The clinic performs an estimated 1,000 abortions a week. The deputy director for the Chicago Abortion Fund, Qudsiyyah Shariyf said patients were from Illinois and traveled from various states seeking help.
Need More Funding
Non-profit-funded clinics, according to Shariyf, would need $100,000 more in funding every month to accommodate the “influx of people.”
The Act Is Still Effective
The Comstock Act, signed by the former Trump administration, forbids “obscene” materials sent by mail. These materials would include the mailing of abortion pills from telehealth institutions. The Comstock Act is still in effect.
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The post Abortion Numbers Surge Despite the Overruling of Roe V. Wade first appeared on Pulse of Pride.
Featured Image Credit: Shutterstock / Stephanie Kenner.
