Story at a glance
- The decision will have wide reaching impacts on women across the country and will disproportionately impact those living in poverty.
- Unregulated abortion procedures, which will likely increase in the wake of the decision, increase the risks of adverse events.
- Historic trends of declining rates of abortion reversed in 2020, which saw slight increases in the total number of women who sought the procedure.
With the Supreme Court overturn of Roe v Wade today, nearly 50 years of precedent has been reversed. For pregnant individuals living in states where the right is not codified into law, options just became much more limited.
Here are five things you should know about abortion:
1. The majority of abortions in the U.S. are carried out via medication
According to data from The Guttmacher Institute, as of 2020 medication abortion accounted for 54 percent of all procedures performed in the United States. Mifepristone, which was first approved by the FDA in 2000, blocks the hormone progesterone that is needed to sustain a pregnancy. The medication is safe and effective and in some cases can be prescribed over telehealth appointments.
Medication induced abortion is not the same as the emergency contraceptive morning-after pill or Plan B. These pills delay or inhibit ovulation, stops implantation and can only be taken within 120 hours of unprotected sex. Morning-after pills do not cause abortions in people who are already pregnant and are available over-the-counter.
2. Regardless of type, abortions are safe when regulated
Abortions are a standard medical procedure that are common and simple. In-clinic abortions are some of the safest medical procedures available especially compared with childbirth. According to The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecology, the risk of death in childbirth is 14 times higher than that from an abortion for American women. Abortion is safest if performed within the first trimester of pregnancy.
However, when abortion is carried out in an unsafe or unregulated environment, which is the case where the procedure is restricted or banned, risks increase. Abortion methods in these instances include self-inflicted bodily or abdominal trauma or ingesting dangerous chemicals. Complications from these unregulated procedures account for around 15 percent of maternal deaths worldwide.
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3. Abortion access improves the economy
Analyses from The Brookings Institute show that in states with greater abortion access, women’s education, labor force participation, earnings and occupational status increased. Poor maternal leave policies and expensive childcare also negatively impact women’s contributions to the workforce once they give birth.
Improved access also extends beyond benefits to the mother and to the economic well-being of children. Abortion legalization has been found to reduce the number of unwanted children, limit cases of child neglect and abuse, and reduce the number of children who live in poverty. Improved access has also been linked with reducing children’s dependance on public assistance.
4. Restricted access harms minority, poorer women most
Although nearly one quarter of women in the United States will receive an abortion throughout their lifetimes, nearly half of those who do are living in poverty. In the 1970s, implementation of Roe v Wade led to increased rates of high school graduation and college attendance among Black women.
Across large swaths of the southern United States, Black women disproportionately use abortion services. This is due to lower rates of insurance coverage in many southern states, inhibiting women’s access to birth control. Overturning of Roe v Wade could in turn exacerbate disparities seen in rates of abortions received or denied.
5. In 2020, rates of abortion increased after a 30-year decline
Despite decade over decade declines in abortion rates, data from 2020 showed a slight increase among women who sought the procedure. The data marked a 1 percent increase from 2019 and an 8 percent increase from 2017. This could be due to a myriad of factors including reductions in stigma, increased contraceptive use, and self-managed abortion.
However, with the overturn of Roe v Wade, this trend might reverse. Data on abortions being performed in unregulated settings might also skew future measures of the procedure in the country.
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