Abortion – Abortion Clinics, Abortion Pill, Abortion Information

Kentucky’s new Republican House majority took the first step on Thursday toward requiring women seeking an abortion to undergo an ultrasound, acting swiftly to capitalize on winning control of the chamber for the first time in almost a century.

The 83-12 vote on the bill came on the third day of the state’s 2017 General Assembly session, the first in which the Republican Party has led the House of Representatives since 1921.

The bill requires a physician or qualified technician to perform the ultrasound and position the screen so the woman may view the images. The medical staff will be required to describe what the images show, including the size of the fetus and any organs or appendages visible.

Sponsors say the bill will better protect the health of women and provide the materials necessary for women to make an informed choice. Abortion rights advocates contend such laws are designed to frighten and shame those seeking an abortion.

Some 25 states have laws regarding ultrasounds and abortions, but only three states require medical staff to display and describe the images, according to the Kaiser Family Foundation, a non-profit group focusing on health issues.

While Kentucky’s bill passed easily, some supporters criticized the new House leadership for pushing the legislation through so quickly that it might open the state to a lawsuit if, as expected, the bill becomes law.

“I think that had we had a chance to discuss this bill, we might have come up with something that was not going to open this state up to millions of dollars in litigation” costs, said Democratic state Representative Angie Hatton.

The state’s Republican-controlled Senate passed another measure that would outlaw abortions after 20 weeks of pregnancy. After passing the ultrasound bill, the House approved two measures strongly opposed by labor groups. The first was a proposal that would allow workers in union shops to receive union benefits without having to pay dues, The second measure would repeal prevailing wage laws Republicans say add expenses to state and local construction projects.

Leaders in both chambers plan to meet this weekend to pass bills to be sent to Republican Governor Matt Bevin for approval, House Republican Caucus spokeswoman Daisy Olivo said.

http://uk.reuters.com/article/us-kentucky-abortion-idUKKBN14P2IW

Source: Reuters

Speculative move by two religious lawmakers to change the 40-year status quo regarding abortion has sparked furious backlash.

Abortion may be one of the most politically charged issues in the world related to religion – but you’d never know it in Israel. While Israelis are eager to furiously debate nearly anything else involving religion and politics – from kosher standards in the army to buses on Shabbat, to women’s prayer at the Western Wall – there is near-silence on the issue of when life begins in the womb.

The status quo that is clung to so tightly has allowed invasive but relatively permissive abortion laws to remain in place nearly undisturbed for 40 years.

This week, though, in a rare occurrence, a proposal was floated that would invite religious input into abortion decisions – and the reaction was explosive.

What happened? Two lawmakers – one an Orthodox Jew, Yehudah Glick (Likud); the other an observant Muslim, Abd al-Hakim Hajj Yahya (Joint List) – dared raise the idea of including a member of the clergy (a rabbi or an Islamic “qadi,” responsible for interpreting Islamic Sharia law) on the state committees that Israeli women seeking abortions must consult before obtaining one.

Simply the news that the idea was being discussed by the Knesset Committee on the Status of Women sparked a furious backlash. As soon as word got out about the hearing, a female cry swept across Hebrew social media to “keep the rabbis out of our uterus!”

In a preemptive strike, numerous Knesset members came out strongly against it on their Facebook pages even before the Knesset panel met. The very idea was “dangerous and scandalous,” wrote Meretz Chairwoman Zehava Galon, who spearheaded opposition to the proposal. The very existence of the abortion panels, which she called a “black, shameful stain on Israeli society,” was bad enough. But to insert the clergy into an already “humiliating” process was intolerable, she added.

“Two male legislators, each one extremely religious, want to invade women in their most intimate space, their bodies,” wrote MK Revital Swid (Zionist Union). “Who are you, my male friends, to invade a place that is so personal – physically, emotionally female – and try to invade it, forcing in your religious considerations? Every woman makes her own decision and if religious issues are important to her, she will weigh them herself and act accordingly. Why at that moment, which is already so uncomfortable and embarrassing, force a man of religion to be present? As a kosher inspector?”

At the Knesset hearing itself, the idea was criticized by female lawmakers from both the governing coalition and the opposition, who agreed that they would oppose the idea if it became proposed legislation.

The strong reaction to such a relatively toothless proposal revealed the delicate nature of this powder-keg issue in Israel.

The current status quo has something for everyone: It offers the semblance of regulation for those conservatives who want abortion to be discouraged, while in reality almost any woman who wants an abortion is able to obtain one – and an estimated 40,000 Israelis obtain them every year.

The existing abortion law was passed in 1977. Under the law, the procedure is nearly automatically legal if women are aged under 18 or over 40; the fetus has a serious mental or physical defect; if the pregnancy is the result of rape, incest or adultery; or if it threatens the woman’s physical or mental health. For teenagers and soldiers serving in the Israel Defense Forces, abortions are fully funded by the state.

In practice, this means that legal abortion is easy to obtain except for those who are married and of standard childbearing age – between 18 and 40.

A healthy married woman who wants an abortion in a public facility must face a committee composed of social workers and doctors in order to have her abortion approved.

Often, those who fall into that category resort to white lies, saying they are single, mentally unstable or pregnant out of wedlock, in order to eliminate obstacles – which is the reason why more than 96 percent of women who seek legal abortions are able to have them.

It is to this committee that the two lawmakers proposed adding a religious authority, in order to “help explain” any religious issues she might have.

In reality, if a woman has several hundred dollars, obtaining a private abortion in a doctor’s clinic and sidestepping the panels is much more efficient. Though technically such physicians are breaking an unenforced law, the practice is common and widespread, allowing any woman – regardless of marital status, age or personal situation – to obtain an abortion discreetly and far more quickly than the official process.

Before Monday’s Knesset hearing, Glick told Haaretz that he found the lack of accountability troubling. He complained that the authorities didn’t release abortion statistics regularly, and that it was problematic that nearly every woman who went before an abortion panel was approved for the procedure, and also that private abortions were regularly performed with no consequences.

Hajj Yahya said the purpose of the hearing was to explore the issue and find members of the coalition who would be willing to support introducing clergy onto the abortion panels – “not to pressure, but to explain.”

Before the hearing, the two lawmakers released statistics they had obtained. These showed that although the rate of legal abortions had dropped among the overall Israeli population, the number in the non-Jewish sector had climbed. It was notable, though, that the chairwoman of the committee, Aida Touma-Suliman – also a Joint List member – opposed the proposal as strongly as her counterparts in other parties.

And so it seems that, ironically, in a country where religious identity is central, and where the observant and secular, and Jews and Muslims clash so frequently, a quiet consensus seems to exist on the hot-button issue of abortion.

Attempts to rock the boat are few and far between. The last time a serious attempt was made to change the status quo was 2006, when a bill introduced by Galon – which would have eliminated the abortion committees – was soundly defeated by an overwhelming majority. Then-Health Minister Jacob Edery said that the government, led by Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, opposed the bill because it did not believe “now is the time to reopen this complicated and problematic discussion. We must remember that the termination of pregnancy is a complicated and sensitive social issue, and every change is a change in the status quo between different worldviews.”

Abortion also briefly hit the headlines in 2013, when the country’s two chief rabbis issued a letter in support of the Efrat antiabortion organization, saying they wanted to make “the wider public aware of the extreme seriousness involved in killing fetuses, which is like actual murder.”

Abortion in Israel is an area in which neither extreme is completely satisfied, but any movement toward real change is viewed with nervous suspicion.

Jewish and Muslim clerics don’t want abortion banned outright – neither religion utterly forbids it – but they surely wish that the committees weren’t so liberal in permitting abortions and that they weren’t so commonly obtained. And women’s advocates who believe in autonomy over their own bodies would clearly prefer it if the abortion panels didn’t exist at all, and showed this week that they deeply fear – and will fight furiously against – any new obstacles put in the way of a woman’s choice.

http://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/.premium-1.762711

Source: Haaretz

COEUR D’ALENE, Idaho – Anti-abortion advocates in northern Idaho say they are collecting signatures for a ballot initiative that would outlaw abortion in Idaho.

The Coeur d’Alene Press (http://bit.ly/2hUWDIF) reports that Abolish Abortion Idaho, a grassroots citizen group, wants to change Idaho law to make people who perform or have an abortion face a penalty of first-degree murder. The petition would ban any exceptions for cases of rape, incest or when the mother’s health is in danger.

Scott Herndon, an activist with the group, says that supporters want Idaho to ignore federal law that recognizes a constitutional right to an abortion.

“If a woman faces the very real consequences of a first-degree murder penalty, we are confident it will act as a deterrent to abortion,” he said.

Herndon added that he was unsure of how many signatures he collected so far as of Friday.

Statewide ballot initiatives must have signatures from 6 percent of the total of those who voted in the last presidential election from 18 out of Idaho’s 35 legislative districts. That means Abolish Abortion Idaho must have at least 56,000 verified signatures to make it on the 2018 ballot.

The ballot would need a simple majority to pass if it makes it on the ballot.

Chuck Wilkes Jr., lead pastor at True North, a Church of the Nazarene in Hayden, said he had concerns over the legal challenges the proposal faces.

“The use of criminal sanctions simply compounds a bad situation,” he wrote in an email to The Press, adding his comments are his own and not a reflection of his pastoral position. “The use of first-degree murder charges is not appropriate for these situations.”

By Associated Press

http://www.heraldtribune.com/news/20170101/idaho-group-pushes-proposal-to-outlaw-abortion

Source: Herald Tribune

(Reuters) – A federal judge in Texas on Saturday issued a court order barring enforcement of an Obama administration policy seeking to extend anti-discrimination protections under the Affordable Care Act to transgender health and abortion-related services.

The decision sides with Texas, seven other states and three Christian-affiliated healthcare groups challenging a rule that, according to the judge, defines sex bias to include “discrimination on the basis of gender identity and termination of pregnancy.”

In granting an injunction one day before the new policy was to take effect, U.S. District Judge Reed O’Connor held that it violates the Administrative Procedure Act, a federal law governing rule-making practices.

The judge also ruled that plaintiffs were likely to prevail in court on their claim that the new policy infringes on the rights of private healthcare providers under the Religious Freedom Restoration Act.

As explained in O’Connor’s 46-page opinion, the plaintiffs argued that the new regulation would “require them to perform and provide insurance coverage for gender transitions and abortions, regardless of their contrary religious beliefs or medical judgment.”

The same judge issued a similar court order in August blocking a separate Obama administration policy that would have required public schools, over the objections of 13 states, to allow transgender students to use restrooms of their choice.

It was not immediately clear whether the Obama administration, which has just 20 days left in office, would seek to appeal the latest injunction.

White House spokeswoman Katie Hill decried the ruling.

“Today’s decision is a setback, but hopefully a temporary one, since all Americans – regardless of their sex, gender identity or sexual orientation – should have access to quality, affordable health care free from discrimination,” she said.

The Affordable Care Act (ACA), also known as Obamacare, was passed in 2010 with an anti-discrimination section designed to prevent insurers from charging customers more or denying coverage based on age, race, national origin, disability or sex.

The rule in dispute on Saturday was adopted by the U.S. Health and Human Services (HHS) Department to implement those provisions, including definitions for sex discrimination that encompassed transgender and abortion services.

According to the court opinion, gender identity was defined under that rule as “an individual’s internal sense of gender, which may be male, female, neither, or a combination of male and female, and which may be different from an individual’s sex assigned at birth.”

The state of Texas has led a string of legal cases brought by Republican-controlled states contesting various social policies advanced by President Barack Obama, most notably his 2014 executive action to protect millions of immigrants in the United States illegally and give them work permits.

That plan, challenged by Texas and other states, has been barred by the courts. But the U.S. Supreme Court in 2012 and 2015 issued rulings that kept the Affordable Care Act, his top legislative achievement, intact.

http://af.reuters.com/article/worldNews/idAFKBN14L0OV

Source: Reuters

THIS IS BY far is the worst thing that has ever happened to me.

Three days ago I had to terminate my much longed for and loved pregnancy. Seven days ago we found out that the baby was sick, and it wasn’t fixable.

One week earlier my world started to fall apart, and things became like a dream. A routine scan in Holles Street to confirm my dates was going perfectly until the midwife said, “hang on a second”.  She had noticed something.

She immediately ran upstairs to the high-risk unit and managed to get me an appointment. As I sat waiting for her to come back, she had given me leaflets to read. I looked at them all but couldn’t tell you one word that was on them. I have been working in medicine for the last 14 years. I knew what she had found, I knew what it meant, and I knew what the outcome was.

She came back in panting from running from the unit, an effort I didn’t appreciate at the time due to my dream-like state. She had an appointment for me in an hour’s time.

I left her office spinning. I walked around the city and ended up in a park. It was raining. People were going to work, and I sat alone beside a tree and cried and cried. After about 45 minutes of sitting at this tree, I got in touch with my partner and explained what was happening. He was in shock.

I headed to the appointment, and I waited in a waiting room with all the other pregnant women. The midwife came up to reassure me they knew I was there, and it wouldn’t be too much longer.

When I went to see the specialist, he saw exactly what the midwife saw. Not a surprise to me, my untrained eye could see it.

They explained my options. It was a bad sign but not necessarily the end of the line. These things can disappear.

But I knew for me it wouldn’t. My heart knew. I just needed the confirmation that would come from a blood test. So off to another waiting room I went. With the bloods done, I rang my partner and headed home.

In three and half hours my brief stint in Holles Street was over. I was never going back.

I couldn’t fix it

We tried to be positive as we waited for the results, but again no amount of hope quenched my gut instinct.

Six days later I got a phone call, and it confirmed what I had been waiting for. The baby was abnormal. She had always been and will always be. I couldn’t fix it.

We had made a decision the day of the scan that if the baby was sick and was going to have a life of hospital visits and no independence, we would terminate.

I rang my partner and talked about this and we still both agreed that this was the right choice.

‘The lady said nothing, only apologised’

I started the process. This would now involve taking a trip to another country as my apparent first world country could not help me. My country was happy to provide me with the worst news about the most precious thing but then say ‘you’re on your own now’.

The same cannot be said about a country in which I have never lived nor paid any tax. They welcomed me with kindness and dignity. They sent me to an appointment in Dublin the next morning for a very different scan to the ones I’d had up until then. The screen was pointed away from me.

The same day the week before in Holles Street, I had watched my baby kick about and move around like my wiggly little worm. She looked so comfortable, and I was so proud of myself for providing such a warm and happy place for this little life. I had wondered who she would look like, what parts of us she would get. Would she have the same interests as us? Where we would take her? What we would teach her?

Now the screen was pointed away, and I was looking at the ceiling. The lady said nothing, only apologised and told me she would be as quick as possible.

I started to cry. The whole situation hit me hard. To go from staring in wonder at my growing baby to not being able to see her was horrific.

After the scan, I broke down. This poor woman did what any good Irish person in a crisis would do and got me a cuppa. We chatted about the future; that this was tragic, but we could try again.

‘There’s no baby anymore’

I now needed to ring the UK again to make my appointment. I was going to wait until I got home but I couldn’t. As I waited for my train, I made the call.

They like to get the Irish girls in early so they have recovered enough to fly back the same night. I was booked in for 9.15am the following Saturday. Two more days of having the baby in my belly.

I didn’t know what to do. I thought about bringing the baby to see my favourite places one last time, but that seemed too upsetting. The thoughts of saying goodbye and doing something for the last time was too much. So I stayed at home and hid. Hid from reality, hid from what I had to do.

I kept the lines of communication open with the family and friends we had already told. I had to tell all of them what was happening.  I used it as a way of telling myself that this was real. This was my life.  This was happening. I couldn’t escape it.

Every day was a different letter about appointments, about fees. I had to cancel my scans. This took the most strength. When I did they asked me why I was cancelling. What could I say? I just said, “there’s no baby anymore”. It wasn’t true but it was going to be.

At 4.30am on the Saturday my partner and I woke up to head to the airport.

We knew this was our only option and it was neither of our faults. We have a special bond which is rare and the strength and love I got from him got me through. We used comedy as a coping mechanism. Whatever we needed to survive.

‘Hell on earth’

Arriving at the airport on the other side, we had a taxi booked. It was free of charge – a service they provide for the Irish clients, most likely because they feel bad for us coming from an archaic society.

We weren’t alone in the taxi – two other Irish ladies were with us. The feeling in the taxi was one of acceptance, but there was the shame. It was there throughout the day. For whatever reason each of us were there, none of us deserved to feel shame at any point.

The day went by in a blur, from one waiting room to another. There were more scans where I wasn’t able to see my baby.

They talked to me about what was happening my baby. She was going to be sucked out of me over about 20 mins, just because she was unlucky. A spontaneous random moment in her creation signed her life away before she had chance at an independent life.

There was nothing we her parents who created her out of pure love could do. And we loved her so much. Out of this world love. Maybe that’s why this happened. The world wasn’t ready for her perfection.

They gave me lots of tablets to relax my cervix. I had to wait for two hours in a room that, despite the staff’s best efforts, was hell on earth. A conveyor belt of women being looked after the best they could be. But why we were there was always with us. An instant bond and understanding occurred. We were dealing with this the best we could, women from every background undergoing the same experience.

‘One of the most horrible experiences of my life’

When my time finally came, I was made wait outside the operating room in a hospital gown. I could hear them talking about me. Preparing to suck my baby out of me. I wondered where she would go and tried not to think about it. I told myself to be strong. Deal with the present and worry about the grief after.

After about 10 minutes of me listening to them, I was called in. I was introduced to the team. The doctor didn’t look up from his screen. I had no interest in being introduced to him and he could sense that off me. He never looked at me which I very much appreciated, although that sounds odd. I just wanted it over. I wanted to be back in the arms of my man, where I felt whole and safe, so our healing could begin.

They told me to get up on the table. I had my legs strapped in with my knees behind my head. It was one of the most horrible experiences of my life. The nurse held my hand and I must have squeezed it harder than I’ve ever done anyone’s before.

The next thing I knew I was being woken up in recovery and it was over. My baby was gone.

In one way I was relieved it was over. I hoped my baby wasn’t in any pain anymore. I just wanted to start my life again.

My recovery took about 30 minutes. More painkillers were prescribed and antibiotics for any infection. A cup of tea and some custard creams and I was on my way. I headed upstairs to my man. I needed his touch and to see his face.

The staff in the clinic were so helpful but nothing or no one could have made that day less horrific for me. But they tried their best to make it as comfortable as they could.

‘You let me down’

I am someone’s daughter, sister, cousin, niece and friend. I am your family and your friend.

What I want to say to every person in Ireland is you let me down. Every single one of you turned your back on me the second my plane left the ground in Dublin.

You let every Irish woman down by allowing this to happen, for not talking about this, for not demanding that your sisters, daughters, nieces and friends be treated with dignity and respect in their own country during the worst time in their lives.

For the last few months all I have heard about is the 1916 celebrations and how proud everyone is of Ireland. How our fans at the Euros were such great representatives of our wonderful country. For me, I don’t feel that.

We have come a long way in the last few years, but for women not far enough. I would ask people to not think of termination as something any woman chooses easily. We need to provide our women with the choice to have these procedures at home, surrounded by support and without shame.

It’s not like it’s not happening. In one waiting room, four out of seven women were Irish. All were forced to leave Ireland.

I hope my experience opens minds and lets people know what’s going on. Many people, men and women alike, were shocked I had to go through this and presumed when they heard my news I would be looked after by my own health service. Not the case.

The shame is on you Ireland, for letting this happen day after day.

The author has chosen to remain anonymous.

Source: The Journal

http://www.thejournal.ie/readme/abortion-experience-uk-2909119-Dec2016/

Fifty-six per cent of women of reproductive age taking part in research say they are avoiding pregnancy over health concerns

 Brazil has more confirmed malformations of the brain in babies born to mothers who were infected with Zika than any other country. Photograph: Mario Tama/Getty Images

More than half of adult women of reproductive age in Brazil have actively tried to avoid pregnancy because of the Zika virus epidemic, according to a survey carried out there.

Brazil has confirmed far more malformations of the brain in babies born to mothers who were infected with Zika than any other country.

So far, there have been 1,845 confirmed cases of what is now being called congenital Zika syndrome; a further 7,246 cases are suspected but the link to the virus has not yet been firmly established.

The survey carried out in June, led by academics in Brazil, shows that 56% of women who responded have tried to avoid becoming pregnant as a result. The numbers are no different among those who describe themselves as having religious beliefs – 58% of Catholics and 55% of Evangelicals in the survey said they were avoiding pregnancy.

In a letter to the Journal of Family Planning and Reproductive Healthcare, Dr Debora Diniz from the University of Brasilia and colleagues say there is an urgent need for Brazil to reconsider its policies on family planning and abortion, to help women who want to avoid the risk of having a baby with brain malformation.

“As indicated by the high proportion of women who avoided pregnancy because of Zika, the Brazilian government must place reproductive health concerns at the centre of its response, including reviewing its continued criminalisation of abortion,” they write.

The government should ensure better access to contraceptive methods and information, they say, arguing for a wider range of methods to be made available. Long-lasting reversible contraception such as intrauterine devices are scarce, they say, and hormonal implants are unavailable through the public services.

Women’s groups are attempting to challenge Brazil’s abortion restrictions through the courts, arguing that those infected by the Zika virus should be permitted a termination.

The team conducted a face-to-face survey of more than 2,000 women, who are literate and between the ages of 18 and 38, which corresponds to 83% of the female population.

They found that 27% had not tried to avoid pregnancy and 16% were not planning to become pregnant anyway, regardless of the Zika epidemic.

The response reflects the geographical impact of the epidemic, with a higher proportion of women from the hard-hit north-eastern region (66%) trying to avoid pregnancy than in the south (46%).

“Black (64%) and brown (56%) women were more likely to report avoiding pregnancy than white women (51%), which also likely reflects the disproportionate impact of the epidemic among the most vulnerable racial groups,” they write.

An estimated 174,000 Brazilians are said by the ministry of health to have been infected with the Zika virus, although the last updated figure was in early July.

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2016/dec/22/half-adult-women-brazil-pregnancy-zika-virus-survey

Source: The Guardian

NEW YORK (Thomson Reuters Foundation) – Women’s rights face enormous challenges worldwide in 2017 with campaigners expecting fights to keep health clinics open, to save programs preventing unwanted pregnancies and to enforce laws protecting women from violence.

Globally, women’s rights are in the crosshairs of rising isolationism and right-wing politics in Western Europe and the United States, where President-elect Donald Trump has promised to unravel an array of beneficial policies.

“There are major challenges facing women’s rights coming up, not the least of which is a global cultural understanding … that women are in essence second-class citizens,” said Tarah Demant of Amnesty International USA.

“This is a global phenomenon,” said Demant, senior director of Amnesty’s identity and discrimination unit. “We are really worried.”

Here are some of the biggest challenges to women’s rights in 2017:

* Global access to abortion and contraception

A threat to abortion access is the likely reinstatement of the so-called global gag rule under the Trump administration.

First imposed under former President Ronald Reagan, the rule prohibits groups getting U.S. aid abroad from providing abortions or counseling patients about abortions, even if their funds for those activities come from other sources.

The rule was lifted by President Barack Obama in 2009 but can be reinstated with the stroke of a pen.

Under the gag rule, many groups turned down U.S. aid, leaving them short of money for health services from cancer screenings to flu shots, advocates say.

The United States also could pull funding from the United Nations Population Fund, which provides access to reproductive health services but does not fund or support abortion.

* Keeping women’s organizations operating globally

Women’s groups work around the world on such issues as divorce rights, gender wage gaps and child marriage, often operating in hostile environments on shoestring budgets.

Several countries have enacted laws pressuring such groups by making them register as foreign agents if they get funding from international donors, said Janet Walsh, acting director of women’s rights division at Human Rights Watch.

At the same time, funding from U.S. government sources is likely to shrink, she said.

“I’m afraid for those who take a stand for women’s rights, that their security and their ability to register and operate as organizations will be undercut,” she said.

* Violence against women

One in three women has experienced physical or sexual violence, most commonly inflicted by a partner, statistics show.

An estimated one in five will become a victim of rape or attempted rape, according to the United Nations, and high rates of femicide and domestic abuse grip many countries.

“Violence against women is a human rights crisis. It is a health crisis. It is a cultural crisis,” said Amnesty’s Demant.

* Loss of United States as leader in women’s rights

The U.S. government has in recent years played a key role in promoting and supporting women’s rights, especially helping draw up global development goals approved by the United Nations, one of which calls for gender equality by 2030.

“We fear a rollback on international agreements on women’s rights and a rollback of commitments by governments on women’s rights,” said Francois Girard, president of the International Women’s Health Coalition (IWHC).

The IWHC intends to press governments not to cave to U.S. pressure to backpedal on women’s rights, a strategy used during the administration of U.S. President George W. Bush that also sought to undermine women’s rights, she said.

“Governments didn’t like to be bullied,” she said.

* Abortion rights in the United States.

Anti-abortion advocates want to repeal Roe v Wade, the 1972 Supreme Court decision making abortion legal.

Trump will have an opportunity to name one or more justices to the highest court and has vowed they will be abortion opponents.

In the meantime, state laws are chipping away at abortion rights.

Texas lawmakers approved a law requiring burial of aborted fetal tissue, a measure estimated to cost hundreds of dollars per procedure, and Ohio signed into law a ban on abortions after 20 weeks.

“The number of abortions never goes down very much, regardless of the law,” said Terry O’Neill, president of the National Organization for Women. “What does go down is the safety and affordability of abortions.”

* Access to contraception in the United States

Trump has said he would appeal some or all of the Affordable Care Act, which has provided 25 million previously uninsured Americans with health coverage.

Known as Obamacare, it pays for most birth control methods for women.

“That funding, by enabling women to avoid unintended pregnancies, saves the federal government a ton of money that they would otherwise have to pay for medical care, pregnancy care, childcare etc.,” said Ann Starrs, head of the Guttmacher Institute, a leading reproductive rights group.

* Defunding of Planned Parenthood

Defunding Planned Parenthood, which runs about 650 women’s health centers nationwide, was a battle cry of Trump during the presidential campaign and a favorite cause of Vice President-elect Mike Pence.

Planned Parenthood relies on public funding for at least half its revenue, much of it from the Medicaid health insurance program for the poor.

Congress also could stop funding Title X programs that provide family planning services to low-income women and from an array of teen pregnancy prevention programs.

“To eliminate them as a provider either through Medicaid or the Title X family planning programs would leave millions of people in this country without regular health care,” said Gretchen Borchelt, vice president for reproductive rights and health at the National Women’s Law Center.

http://www.reuters.com/article/us-women-rights-idUSKBN14H0BG

Source: Reuters