The American Society for Reproductive Medicine (ASRM) has just released a comprehensive report that breaks down several different types of abortion policy proposals – from criminalization to removing limits on late-term abortions and their potential impact on those seeking access to safe medical care.
With many organizations proposing stricter regulations regarding abortions, this report helps to shed light on how those changes could impact resources and access throughout the country.
Noting that a woman’s decision to end or continue pregnancies should be respected without judgment or interference from outside sources as well as better informing healthcare providers about the effects public policies may have on their medical practices.
As the debate over abortion policy grows increasingly fierce, it’s essential to understand exactly what actions are being proposed and how they affect people’s reproductive rights.
What Happened?
Since the Supreme Court delivered a devastating blow in the wake of the Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization case, legislators have been pushing for proposals to restrict abortion access without considering the implications for assisted reproductive technologies like IVF.
The rise of so-called “personhood” measures that define life as beginning at conception is sparking concern among both medical practitioners and infertility patients.
These proposals have the potential to limit or even ban common and safe medical procedures, such as disposing of unused embryos or removing embryos that fail to implant in a uterus.
As it stands right now, 13 states have complete bans on in-state abortion care; Alabama, Arkansas, Idaho, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, Oklahoma, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, and West Virginia.
These unprecedented moves by these States have left women to seek out of state assistance which has led to even more efforts of anti-abortion advocates and lawmakers to restrict access to care and penalize facilitation of care have been widely noticed.
Their purpose is to make it increasingly difficult for individuals to obtain the care they need, regardless of where they live or travel.
To add further insult to injury, other states have taken to also instituting proposals that restrict reproductive care.
Utah has officially banned abortion clinics under a new law signed by the state’s governor. The bill was passed after a narrow party-line vote in the legislature. According to the law, all these clinics will need to shut down by the end of 2023.
Florida introduced complementary bills aimed at further limiting access to abortions. This proposed amendment seeks to reduce the current 15-week abortion ban to a mere six weeks, which is a bit ridiculous considering most women do not even know they’re pregnant by then.
Idaho recently banned abortion with a few exceptions for rape, incest, or risk to the life of the pregnant person. BUT the State only allows these exceptions IF the victim has reported the crime to law enforcement, which goes against best practices and data on victimology.
Even with all of the negative aim against reproductive rights, there are many States have banned together to support a women’s right to reproductive care such as New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, Washington, California, Hawaii, Illinois, Colorado and Vermont, setting up protections for their doctors who perform abortions for out of state individuals as well as monetary funds to help with abortion aspects
As the battle rages on for women’s reproductive rights, one has to ask when is enough, enough? One only knows but we all need to keep an eye on how these types of things are starting to unfold.
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