The Problem of Abortion: Regulation at the State Level

Topic: Public Policies
Words: 1396 Pages: 5

Introduction

Identifying women’s motives for having abortions might assist in relating the argument, dispelling public misunderstandings, and opening the door to empathy. The choice to undergo an abortion is usually made for a variety of reasons. Most women give many reasons for having an abortion. Abortion is a difficult and nuanced subject; the number of females who are presented with this choice does not take it lightly. Females said they make their selection based mostly on their capacity to maintain economic security and manage their existing children.1 Abortion, according to females who have had one, is not the simple way out. She must make a terrible and tough choice in light of what is best for the kid. It is a decision she will live with for the rest of her lifetime.

Many women face the problem of unplanned childbirth in their lives. Abortion was the only way for a woman to get rid of such a social burden. For many, abortion is salvation from a social abyss because people may have low income or social status that does not allow raising a child in a healthy environment. However, the US authorities came to the conclusion that the option of abortion should be eradicated because when this procedure occurs, a person’s potential life is lost. This work was written with the aim of studying the problem of protecting women who want to have an abortion at the state level.

Description of the Problem

Historically, abortion has been a controversial issue in the US Abortion has led to a divided nation. Various religions, morals, political views, public views, and opinions lead many people to oppose abortion; this is an issue that affects women and families. It affects women and their rights because when considering abortion, it should be looked at why a woman would get an abortion. She might have gotten an abortion because of rape, incest, not being financially prepared. Reasons related to the partner not being emotionally or mentally ready. Bills would protect women and stop many issues with states trying to ban abortions based on what they believe and not how a woman feels. It would also stop matters like if a woman got pregnant, would they still have an abortion because women have restricted most of history and men have been in charge.

Solution

Currently, states are only passing state laws that ban abortion. In Arkansas, a federal judge blocked enforcement of a ban on most abortions. The first option is that the Supreme Court affirmed to consider Mississippi’s request to restore a statute that prohibits abortion after 15 weeks gestation. It is incorrect for multiple reasons because it would undercut the 1973 Roe v. Wade decision, which allowed abortion statewide.2 The second option is that according to The Center for Reproductive Rights, the loss of reproductive rights would be a blow to the nation’s economy, as well as an attack on women’s freedom.

I want a national standard law to protect women when it comes to abortion. I am addressing the legislative branch because I provide to establish a law. The legislative branch should enact a federal law that bans states from barring abortions but limits it to the third trimester because the embryo develops a nervous system. The Hyde amendment, which was passed in 1976, should be appealed to so the federal government can pay for abortions through Medicare. According to a 2016 poll conducted by the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health for POLITICO, only 36% of likely voters want to overturn the long-standing ban on Medicaid funding abortions.3 In contrast, 57 percent of Clinton supporters favor repealing current regulations.

Position Statement

In 1973, the Judicial Branch of the United States issued a historic decision known as Roe v. Wade, which said that the protection of privacy protected abortion choices made by a woman.4 The case included a lady going by the alias Jane Roe and attorney Henry Wade in Texas, where abortions were only legal if the expecting female’s life was in danger. The judges agreed 7-2 that abortion limits must be carefully drafted and that the law guarantees the ability to obtain an abortion before the time at which a child may live outside the uterus, which is approximately 24 and 28 weeks.

Abortion is still a contentious subject in the United States, as it is in many other nations; conservative Christians are among the most vocal opponents. For generations, republican politicians and lawmakers have attempted to repeal and weaken the Roe vs. Wade decision. Legislators in states ranging from Arkansas to Utah have been attempting to enact legislation restricting access to abortion, and President Donald Trump’s support has bolstered their efforts. Abortion rates in the US have consistently dropped since the early 1980s, hitting the lowest rate on record in recent times.

Abortion restrictions that restrict abortion before a child is conceived are invalid under Roe. Weeks of gestation are measured in weeks, beginning with the last menstrual period or with conception. Some of these prohibitions are not enforced laws that make a certain technique of abortion treatment illegal, most often dilation and extraction and dilation and evacuation processes. Some of these prohibitions are not implemented. Laws that make abortion illegal if it is requested or may be sought for a certain cause. These prohibitions include sex, ethnicity, and genetic abnormality as banned grounds. Nevertheless, there is no indication that women who are pregnant sought abortion services because of their fetus’s gender or race.

A judgment from the nation’s top court confirms that the constitution specifically preserves the right to abortion independently of any US constitution entitlement. States are mandated to offer government money for abortion services warranted by life risk, abuse, or incest through the state Medicaid program.5 Authorities can also use state-only funds to pay most or all medically required abortion services for Medicaid beneficiaries. States can compel commercial healthcare insurance authorized by them to provide specified benefits, such as abortion services. Physical blockage of hospitals, intimidation to physicians or customers, trespass, and phone abuse of the clinic are all prohibited by law, and a secured zone is established surrounding the facility.

State governments and regulatory bodies govern the standards of practice for health providers. In practice, the state legislature does not define particular medical care that falls inside or outside a practitioner’s work area. Many jurisdictions, meanwhile, have adopted a new approach to abortion, limiting access to physicians only. Other states have taken active measures to broaden the types of healthcare professionals. They can legally provide access to abortion by rescinding health care professional laws or explicitly approving family physicians, and many other professional medical consultants continue providing medical assistance through laws, restrictions, or district attorney opinions.

Conclusion

Females seek abortion for a variety of reasons related to their living circumstances and stage of life and commonly for the significant impact they believe having a baby will have on their future aspirations. When confronted with an unplanned pregnancy, women who undergo abortions have a better quality of life course outcomes than females who carry their unwanted pregnancies to term. There is a widespread perception that abortion availability is critical for women’s equal chances and income stability.

If the Constitutional Court grants state additional discretion to regulate or prevent abortions, almost half the states would almost certainly implement new laws that are as strict as feasible, criminal laws restricting abortion. States would after that be separated into abortion droughts, where patient care would be prohibited, and abortion sanctuaries, where treatment would remain available. Thousands of individuals live in abortion zones, primarily in the Midwest and South. They would be compelled to travel to get legal treatment, which leaves people being unable to obtain an abortion for a set of economic and practical reasons.

Abortion organizations in the United States assist pregnant women in obtaining abortion services by reducing financial and logistical hurdles. Funds give funds to pay for medical treatment as well as additional expenditures such as transit, childcare, language, and vacation. Public financing is crucial for ensuring that reduced persons can exercise their right to abortion. The federal, state and municipal governments all have a role in subsidizing abortion services. Following Roe vs. Wade, federal Medicaid money was made accessible for medically required abortions, and Medicaid funded about one-third of all abortions. Abortion clinics play a critical role in assuring abortion care accessibility.

References

Dawn Stacey, Ph.D. “Why Do Women Have Abortions?” Verywell Health. Web.

Foundation, Thomson Reuters, and Christine Murray. “What Is Roe v Wade, and Could a New Case Undo US Abortion Rights?” News.trust.org. 2021. Web.

Haberkorn, J. POLITICO-Harvard poll: Clinton voters eager to scrap Hyde Amendment. POLITICO. 2016. Web.

“What If Roe Fell.” Center for Reproductive Rights. Web.

Footnotes

  1. Dawn Stacey, PhD. “Why Do Women Have Abortions?” Verywell Health. Web.
  2. Foundation, Thomson Reuters, and Christine Murray. “What Is Roe v Wade, and Could a New Case Undo US Abortion Rights?” News.trust.org. 2021. Web.
  3. Haberkorn, J. POLITICO-Harvard poll: Clinton voters eager to scrap Hyde Amendment. POLITICO. 2016. Web.
  4. Foundation, Thomson Reuters, and Christine Murray. “What Is Roe v Wade, and Could a New Case Undo US Abortion Rights?” News.trust.org. 2021. Web.
  5. “What If Roe Fell.” Center for Reproductive Rights. Web.