User:Mfarbelaez/Abortion fund

Abortion funds:

Abortion funds are for people that in their country is legal however they can’t afford it or isn’t accessible. It is usually provided by non-profit organizations in order to help those who need it. In the United States abortion ranges from $0-4,000 dollars. The reason why abortions are expensive is because many insurances may not cover any cost of it. Also, depending on where you live abortion costs may differ from state to state (Planned Parenthood,2020).

Funds from state to state:

Abortion costs may range differently depending where you live and also how far along the woman is on their pregnancy. The type of abortion may also have a difference in costs. The pill for an abortion costs about $500 and can be taken between 5 to 10 weeks into pregnancy. In some states you can get the pill prescribed through telemedicine and others you need to go in person. Aspiration abortion is another form of abortion, it ranges $400-900. However in some states these aren’t even an option because it may be against their law. Currently there are sixteen states who use their own state funds to pay for elective abortions and other services. These states include Alaska, Arizona, California, Connecticut, Hawaii, Illinois, Maryland, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Montana, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Oregon, Vermont, and Washington.

Abortion Legalization in the United States:

Abortion is legal in all U.S. states, and every state has at least one abortion clinic. Laws and restriction vary from state to state. Abortion is a controversial political issue, and in many states, people try to protest and fight for abortion laws. Passed by congress in 1977, the Hyde Amendment, which currently forbids the use of federal funds for abortions except in cases of life endangerment, rape or incest, has guided public funding for abortions under the joint federal-state Medicaid programs for low-income women. Overall, states must cover those abortions that meet the federal exceptions. Although most states meet the requirements, one state is in violation of federal Medicaid law, because it pays for abortions only in cases of life endangerment. Some states use their own funds to pay for all or most medically necessary abortions, although most do so as a result of a specific court order. In Thirty-three states and the District of Columbia follow the federal    standard and provide abortions in cases of life endangerment, rape and incest. Four of these states also provide state funds for abortions in    cases of fetal impairment. They also provide state funds for abortions that may physically harm the woman’s health. One of these states provide abortions only in the cases of like endangerment if it doesn’t follow the federal standard. Sixteen of these states have a policy that allows Medicaid to pay for most of the medically necessary abortions. Within these sixteen states, seven provide funds voluntarily and nine make decisions through court orders. The Hyde Amendment excludes abortion from the comprehensive health care services provided to low-income people by the federal government through Medicaid. Congress has made some exceptions to the funding ban, which have varied over the years. At present, the federal Medicaid program mandates abortion funding in cases of rape or incest, as well as when a pregnant woman's life is endangered by a physical disorder, illness, or injury. Thirty-two of the remaining states pay for abortions for low-income women in cases of life-endangering circumstances, rape, or incest, as mandated by federal Medicaid law. Many citizens believe that The Hyde Amendment and other bans should be repealed because they are discriminatory and harm women's health. If a woman chooses to carry to term, Medicaid and other federal insurance programs offer assistance for the necessary medical care. But if the same woman needs to end her pregnancy, Medicaid and other federal insurance programs will not provide coverage for her abortion, even if continuing the pregnancy will harm her health. Abortion is a very sensitive topic because it affects women in all kinds of ways, especially health. With these bans, the federal government turns its back on women who need abortions for their health. Women with cancer, diabetes, or heart conditions, or whose pregnancies otherwise threaten their health, are denied coverage for abortions. Only if a woman would otherwise die, or if her pregnancy results from rape or incest, is an abortion covered. The bans thus put many women's health in jeopardy. In some cases, Medicaid offers options such as reproductive health care, including family planning, prenatal care, and services related to childbirth. By singling out abortion for exclusion, politicians have attempted to impose their own choices on poor women. Federal funding restrictions have left some women on Medicaid little choice but to use money they need for food, rent, clothing, or other necessities to pay for an abortion. One study showed that nearly 60% of women on Medicaid were often forced to divert money that would otherwise be used to pay their daily and monthly expenses, such as rent, utility bills, food and clothing for themselves and their children. Some even resorted to pawning household goods to come up with the necessary cash. Many Medicaid-eligible women delay their abortions, increasing their medical risks, while they scrape funds together. Other women have been forced to carry their pregnancies to term or to seek illegal abortions. Studies have shown that from 18 to 35 percent of Medicaid-eligible women who want abortions, but who live in states that do not provide funding for abortion, have been forced to carry their pregnancies to term.

Taxpayers and abortion funds:

Taxpayers to not contribute to abortions. Because the costs associated with childbirth, neonatal and pediatric care greatly exceed the costs of abortion, public funding for abortion neither costs the taxpayer money nor drains resources from other services.

President attributions:

President Biden has also instructed the US health department to immediately consider removing Trump-era restrictions to a domestic family planning programs for low-income Americans known as Title X. Trump's overhaul of the Title X programs saw tens of millions of dollars stripped from any health centers that offered or referred patients for non-elective abortions, like Planned Parenthood. Biden has also removed the US from a 2020 resolution known as the Geneva Consensus, a non-binding charter of more than 30 countries that oppose abortion. It also comes amid legal battles over abortion, as several mostly Republican southern states pass local regulations that drastically cut back access to the procedure. On the other hand, conservatives are newly emboldened to try to reverse 1973's Roe v Wade landmark Supreme Court decision, which legalized abortion across the US, after Trump appointed judges who have tilted the court in conservatives’ favor.

Abortion funds worldwide:

Studies show that abortion rates may be much higher in nations where abortion is illegal. Because abortion is prohibited, these abortions are illegal abortions, which are more dangerous than legal abortions. There are also higher risks and complications, including the death of the mother, as a result of these illegal abortions. One of the most accurate ways to find abortion rates is through the World Abortion Policies reports created by the United Nations. These reports measure the number of abortions performed on women between the ages of 15 to 44. This rate measures the number of abortions per 1,000 women in the country. The United States has an abortion rate of 20.8 abortions per 1,000 women. A women's right to abortion was decided by the U.S. Supreme Court in the case of Roe v. Wade. The decision states that the government cannot regulate a women's choice to have an abortion before the fetus's viability. However, abortion laws vary by state, including some that attempt to restrict abortions before viability. Because of different regulations on abortion and other factors, abortion rates also vary significantly between states.

References:

Planned Parenthood. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.plannedparenthoodaction.org/issues/abortion/whole-womans-health-v-hellerstedt

Compass care. retrieved from

https://www.compasscare.info/health-information/abortion/abortion-costs/

ACLU organization

https://www.aclu.org/other/public-funding-abortion