Currently, women are being deprived of abortion services due to the restrictions implicated within the Hyde Amendment (McGee 89-90). Women often resort to raising money for the procedure, going so far as pursuing sex work in order to do so, or forgoing everyday necessities, such as rent, utilities, and groceries (McGee 102). As time goes on, the procedure is delayed, the cost of abortion increases, and the process becomes riskier (McGee 102-103). Planned Parenthood v. Casey even mandated that a mandatory 24-hour waiting period – after informed consent is given to proceed with the procedure – is permissible (Whitman 1987). During this 24-hour waiting period, women would be required to make two separate trips to the abortion provider (Whitman
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It’s clear that these are burdens put in place to hinder a woman’s ability to obtain an abortion as they are increasingly difficult to avert. While these obstacles weren’t declared by the Court to be substantial enough to infringe on a woman’s constitutional right, they were intended to discourage abortions and tend to be very strenuous for women in poverty (Whitman 1988). The argument then becomes the question: what is burdensome enough to be considered an undue burden (Whitman 1986)? While burdens preventing women from choosing abortions are unconstitutional, it is unclear what the Courts see as a burden in this case. Once again, the ambiguity of the Court leaves out clearly defined details that are fundamental to the understanding of the abortion process. The current abortion legislation can consequently, because of unclear boundaries and the allowance of limitations, encourage women to attempt self-inducing an abortion (McGee 104). This is a process even more dangerous than seeking out unlicensed midwives to implement the procedure at a cheaper price (McGee 103-104). Women seek these less than ideal alternatives because the price of an abortion is too high to bear or delay of the procedure has caused other unforeseen costs to arise (McGee …show more content…
For example, South Dakota, the only state that is currently refusing to comply with the Hyde Amendments rape and incest exceptions, often refuses access to Medicaid-funded abortions in those instances (McGee 80). Brooke McGee’s Pregnancy as Punishment for Low-Income Sexual Assault Victims: … Why the Hyde Amendment Must Be Repealed, published in 2016, tells the story of a young woman named Rosie who’s attempting to attain an abortion after being raped (McGee 78-79). Rosie, already a single mother and despite working an extra job, was not able to raise the funds she needed to pay for the abortion, traveling expenses, time off work, and childcare for her daughter during the process (McGee 79). As a result, Rosie attempted a “back-alley” abortion that ended up costing Rosie her life and her young daughter a mother (McGee 79). Despite the legality of abortions in the United States, limitations that hinder an indigent woman’s ability to obtain one often force women to take extreme measures in order to receive the procedure (McGee
It’s clear that these are burdens put in place to hinder a woman’s ability to obtain an abortion as they are increasingly difficult to avert. While these obstacles weren’t declared by the Court to be substantial enough to infringe on a woman’s constitutional right, they were intended to discourage abortions and tend to be very strenuous for women in poverty (Whitman 1988). The argument then becomes the question: what is burdensome enough to be considered an undue burden (Whitman 1986)? While burdens preventing women from choosing abortions are unconstitutional, it is unclear what the Courts see as a burden in this case. Once again, the ambiguity of the Court leaves out clearly defined details that are fundamental to the understanding of the abortion process. The current abortion legislation can consequently, because of unclear boundaries and the allowance of limitations, encourage women to attempt self-inducing an abortion (McGee 104). This is a process even more dangerous than seeking out unlicensed midwives to implement the procedure at a cheaper price (McGee 103-104). Women seek these less than ideal alternatives because the price of an abortion is too high to bear or delay of the procedure has caused other unforeseen costs to arise (McGee …show more content…
For example, South Dakota, the only state that is currently refusing to comply with the Hyde Amendments rape and incest exceptions, often refuses access to Medicaid-funded abortions in those instances (McGee 80). Brooke McGee’s Pregnancy as Punishment for Low-Income Sexual Assault Victims: … Why the Hyde Amendment Must Be Repealed, published in 2016, tells the story of a young woman named Rosie who’s attempting to attain an abortion after being raped (McGee 78-79). Rosie, already a single mother and despite working an extra job, was not able to raise the funds she needed to pay for the abortion, traveling expenses, time off work, and childcare for her daughter during the process (McGee 79). As a result, Rosie attempted a “back-alley” abortion that ended up costing Rosie her life and her young daughter a mother (McGee 79). Despite the legality of abortions in the United States, limitations that hinder an indigent woman’s ability to obtain one often force women to take extreme measures in order to receive the procedure (McGee