Availability of Abortion in the US

Political Opinion Pro-Life

Politicians and citizens who identify with the pro-life movement believe that aborting a child is synonymous with murdering a child. Their opinion is that life begins at conception, and since conception the Zygote, Embryo, and Fetus should have the same rights as any child outside the womb. Often times the pro-life movement is considered a 'Conservative' movement but the early days of the pro-life movement were considered liberal. Daniel Williams claims in his book Defenders of the Unborn that 'conservatice' was at one time much more deeply rooted in liberal rights-based values than we might have suspected. In fact, the pro-life movement began as a human rights movement. Pro-lifers claim that abortion is not in the best interest of women and their health. In the US the current large debate is regarding planned parenthood. Planned parenthood is a provider of reproductive health care provider that strives to inform and educate the community about reproductive and sexual health to reduce the nations high rates of teen pregnancies, they also provide oral healthcare to women who cannot afford their own OBGYN. The problem that Pro-lifers have with planned parenthood is that what they are commonly known for is providing women with free abortions. Although abortions aren't the main reason for the existence of planned parenthood, it is still enough to allow for supporters of the Pro-Life movement in the US to want them defunded.

Political Opinion Pro Choice

The main pillar of the Pro-Choice movement is a woman's right to have a choice in their reproductive lives as a fundamental right. This movement strives to keep abortion, safe, legal, and accessible to women. Advocates of abortion rights started using the name 'pro-choice' after the 1973 Supreme Court decision in Roe V. Wade, which named it unconstitutional to ban abortion rights. In the current debate on planned parenthood, supporters of the movement believe that defunding planned parenthood would be detrimental to the lives of many women in America. They claim that the main role of planned parenthood is not to give abortions but rather to educate women, especially teens, on reproductive health. Without Planned Parenthood many women in America would lose their access to health care.

How Abortion Policy Has Changed Since 2008

Barak Obama, was a large supporter of the pro-choice movement. One of his pinnacle legislation was the Affordable Care Act, in which he states that insurance companies need to provide contraceptives to everybody who is insured. He claimed that this is not only a health, but an economic issue for women. In 2015 the house of representatives approved a bill, H.R.7 banning taxpayer funding of abortions under the Affordable Care Act. On the 42nd anniversary of Roe v. Wade president Obama said that he is 'deeply committed to protecting this core constitutional right" of abortion. After the election of Donald J. Trump in November of 2016, due to the Pro-Life attitude of the new President-elect, the Obama administration issued a rule to bar bar any states from withholding any federal family-planning funds from Planned Parenthood. The measure took effect on January 20th 2017, two days before the inauguration of Donald J. Trump. Within months of inauguration Trump privately signed legislation that allowed states to withhold money from planned parenthood. Since his first executive order, Donald Trump has been moving to repeal the Affordable Care Act.

Abortion Policy By State

Since the Roe v. Wade and Doe v. Bolton states have constructed abortion law that codifies under what circumstances a woman may obtain an abortion. Many of the rules are up to the discretion of individual states. Some states often make abortion more difficult than others. Typically more conservative states have stricter abortion legislation than blue states. The rules are separated into categories as follows:

Physician and Health Requirements States can require one physician, two physicians or hospitalization in order to receive an abortion. Gestational Limits States may prohibit abortions, with an exception of when it is to protect a woman's health, after a certain point in pregnancy. 'Partial-Birth' Abortion States may prohibit 'Partial-Birth' abortions. Public Funding States may use their own funds to pay for all or most medically necessary abortions. The Federal government prohibits the use of state funds with the exception of if a women's life is in danger or the pregnancy is a result of rape or incest. South Dakota limits funding to cases of life endangerment only. Coverage by Private Insurance States may restrict coverage of abortion in private insurance plans, many offer abortion plans at an additional cost. Refusal States may allow individual health care providers to refuse to participate in abortion, 16 states however say only private or religious institutions have the right of refusal. State-Mandated Counseling States may mandate counseling before an abortion. Waiting Periods States may require women to wait for a period time between when she receives counseling and when the procedure is performed. Parental Involvement States may require parental involvement in a minor's decision to have an abortion.

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