Just because abortion is legal, does not mean it is accessible, affordable or available. So what's the point?
Why is getting an abortion so damn hard? Well, I’ll tell you some reasons:
· Laws requiring parental notification and parental consent
· Mandatory waiting periods
· Lack of providers
· "Crisis pregnancy centers" (CPC’s)
· The need to travel long distances for an abortion
· Areas that lack providers
· Appointment arrangements
· Appointment availability
· “Sono-ing over”
· Not having enough MONEY to pay for an abortion
· Harassment of clinics, providers and patients
· Lack of public funding for abortion
· Having private insurance that does not cover abortion
· Having insurance that requires a deductible before getting an abortion
· Confidentiality concerns with insurance
· Gestation limits set by states and providers
· Fewer facilities providing second trimester procedures
· Lack of knowledge about availability of abortion services
· Ambivalence about pregnancy
· Not having proper identification for an appointment (ID, birth certificate)
· Having your driver leave you at the clinic
· Not being able to find childcare
· Forgetting to fast if you’re planning to have sedation
· Car breakdowns
· Missing the bus
· And so many more…
We should always be thinking of ideas to do what we can to make accessing abortion services easier for women. There are things we can’t change on an individual level like legal and policy barriers, so we should focus our energy on problems with access we CAN change. Here are some ideas:
1) Childcare in clinics
2) A volunteer driver’s network to help patients with transportation
3) Texting patients their appointment information
4) Having information available online about what is needed for a successful appointment
5) Your turn!
Abortion may be legal, but until women can access and afford abortion services, free from judgment and harassment, our work is not done.
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