On Wednesday 12 October at 19:30 GMT:
It has been more than 100 days since the United States Supreme Court struck down the constitutional right to abortion. During that time, the lives of millions of Americans have changed dramatically when it comes to their health care choices.
Giving states individual choice when it comes to providing abortions encourages the creation of a chaotic patchwork system across the country. The procedure is banned or severely restricted in more than a dozen countries, mainly in the South. Nearly 10 other states have bans in the works but face legal challenges. That means nearly one in three American women of childbearing age — disproportionately poorer women and black women — now lives in a state without access to abortion, the Guttmacher Institute reports. Studies show that this lack of access puts pregnant women at risk for poorer financial, health and family outcomes.
In addition to the procedure itself, doctors say the vaguely worded laws have a detrimental effect on treating high-risk patients. Fear of prosecution makes doctors in some countries hesitate to treat pregnant women with cancer or women with life-threatening fetal complications.
Polls show a majority of Americans (62 percent) support keeping abortion legal, and the issue is expected to sway voters in next month’s midterm elections. The result would affect efforts to pass legislation that either legalizes or restricts abortion at the national level.
In this episode of The Stream, we look at the impact the abortion ban is having on Americans, especially poor and black women.
In this episode of The Stream, we talk to:
Elizabeth Nash, @ElizNash
Senior Policy Fellow, Guttmacher Institute
