As I’m writing this, 18 states have banned abortion in some capacity, including 13 with total bans and one with what is in practice almost a complete ban. That’s millions of people cut off from what had been for half a century a fundamental right.
The Supreme Court’s June ruling overturning Roe v. Wade has already had devastating consequences for some. Just consider the case of the 10-year-old in Ohio who became pregnant after being raped and had to travel to Indiana to get an abortion.
Politicians are acting against the will of the American public in passing abortion bans. Many elected officials are listening to a small but vocal minority, completely ignoring the wishes of most Americans, who consistently say they do not want abortion prohibited.
Studies have found people who are denied abortions are more likely to live in poverty, experience domestic violence, and have overall worse health outcomes. Women of color are disproportionately impacted by this, thanks to long-standing structures of systemic racism.
Research has also determined most people who get abortions do not regret their choice. In one landmark study, for instance, almost 99% of abortion recipients said abortion was the right decision for them — both immediately afterward and years later.
Here’s another fact that might surprise you: Nearly one in four women in the United States will have an abortion in her lifetime.
Most of us know someone who’s had an abortion, even if they’ve never talked about it due to shame or guilt. Abortion is normal, and the stigma around it must end.
Right now, undoubtedly, there is someone in a ban state facing tough decisions about what to do with an unwanted pregnancy.
Do they try to travel, potentially hundreds or even thousands of miles, to a jurisdiction where abortion is legal? Do they carry the pregnancy to term and put the baby up for adoption? Do they keep the child?
These are not easy questions to answer. More to the point, they’re questions that should be decided solely by the pregnant individual. What right do you or I have to tell someone what they should do with their body?
I certainly wouldn’t want people telling me what I can and can’t do, and I am confident that others reading this wouldn’t either.
It’s easy to judge someone for what they “should” do, but as the saying goes, you can’t truly know what someone’s life is like unless you’ve walked a mile in their shoes.
Delawareans, fortunately, have been able to avoid many of the problems faced in other states, thanks both to grassroots advocates and to elected officials who have taken major steps to protect reproductive and sexual health care. Although there is more we can, such as authorizing Medicaid to cover abortion and thus removing a financial inequity in reproductive care, the state has become a leader in this field.
Planned Parenthood of Delaware is proud to provide sexual and reproductive health care to all people without regard to race, gender, sexual orientation, or income level. We’ve already seen people travel more than 1,000 miles to Delaware to obtain an abortion, thanks to so many states in the south, midwest, and west callously barring their residents from critical health care. As this crisis continues, we will continue to be there for all in need.
At Planned Parenthood of Delaware, we live by one simple mantra: Care — no matter what.
Our patients will always come first.
Matt Bittle is public affairs manager of Planned Parenthood of Delaware.
