Abortion in the United States: barriers to access.
The legalization of abortion in the United States has brought a dramatic improvement in women's health and reductions in maternal and infant mortality. For young women, low-income women, and women of color, however, access to abortion has been increasingly restricted. This article describes the obstacles to abortion access, including lack of federal funding; restrictive laws, encompassing those requiring parental consent or notification for a minor seeking an abortion, as well as those attempting to ban a certain procedure; stigmatization and marginalization of abortion; decreasing abortion services; and a shortage of providers. The article connects the erosions in rights relating to abortion to policies undermining poor women's rights in relation to having children.
Fried
M G
MG
CLPP, Hampshire College, Amherst, MA 01002, USA. mfried@hampshire.edu
D000029:Abortion, Legal / Q000191:economics / Q000379:methods; D005260:Female; D005382:Financing, Personal; D006297:Health Services Accessibility; D006801:Humans; D011247:Pregnancy; D012098:Reproduction; D014481:United States; D016387:Women's Health; D014933:Women's Rights / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence