Women have been protesting for their rights since the early 1800s. They started by protesting about limitations that were placed on women after the American Revolution, and then that turned into the right to vote and representation in government, and then abortion rights.  While these protests have been going on, they have also been met with backlash, and this is no different when it comes to protests for abortion access. 

   A study was done to see the effect of abortion protesters on women’s emotional response to abortion. This study consisted of nine hundred and fifty six women who were interested in obtaining an abortion being interviewed. These interviews occurred at thirty different abortion care facilities between 2008 and 2010. The result of this study found that, according to the patients, one third of the protesters were deemed aggressive toward patients. About half of the women interviewed actually saw protesters in front of their facility. Sixteen percent said they were “quite” or “extremely” upset as a reaction to the protesters. Women who initially were contemplating obtaining an abortion were more likely to be upset by the protesters. Although women were not affected emotionally about one week after the procedure. Each facility where the women from the survey obtained their abortion had a representative answer the following questions, “Does your facility regularly have antiabortion protesters who are visible to abortion patients? If yes, how often are these abortion protesters present on abortion clinic days? (always, very often, sometimes, rarely ever). Would you describe the tactics used by the protesters at your clinic on an average day as passive (for example, praying quietly from a distance), aggressive (such as shouting at women or attempting to hand them literature), or mixed? How frequently do staff comfort patients who are upset by protesters they encounter on the way into your facility? (regularly, occasionally, very rarely, never)” (https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0010782412008153?via%3Dihub) 

   The results from the first question were that most facilities had protesters present. The second question’s results were that thirty five percent of women reported the protesters were aggressive, twenty two percent were passive, and forty four percent were mixed. The final question led to the results that most of the staff regularly comforted the patients. 

    Women who obtained an abortion were asked about their specific experiences with the protesters. Those questions included, “Did you see any antiabortion demonstrators outside the clinic when you entered? Did any of the antiabortion demonstrators talk to you? Did any of the antiabortion demonstrators try to stop you from entering the clinic? To what extent did the protesters upset you, if at all?” (https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0010782412008153?via%3Dihub)   

   The results from the first question that the women were asked were fifty four percent of women saw no protesters, sixteen percent saw protesters, fifteen percent heard and saw protesters, sixteen percent reported that protesters tried to stop them from entering the clinic and obtaining an abortion. 

   Women have been extremely affected by these protesters, and it is dangerous to their mental health. Specifically, women who share their stories about abortion are subjected to negative and positive feedback. A study was done in which women who have shared their stories were surveyed about the responses they got both online and in “real life.” 

   Sixty percent of respondents reported experiencing “harassment and other negative incidents” after sharing their abortion story. This led to “emotional stress, problems with loved ones, and difficulties are work and/or school.” (https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2590151620300046?ref=pdf_download&fr=RR-2&rr=7a879d411cb1fd7e) Even women who shared their stories only using their first name, an alias, or anonymous, were still subjected to negative attention. On the other hand, four out of five respondents received positive feedback that motivated them to continue sharing their stories. 

   Women shared their abortion stories in many different ways, sixty percent posted on social media,  fifty one percent was a part of educational campaigns, twenty eight percent were quoted in news stories, twenty four percent were in first person articles in newspapers or websites, twenty three percent visited policymakers, and seventeen percent shared a public testimony. Additionally, it was found that fifty eight percent shared their abortion story within five years of their abortion, and forty two percent shared their abortion story six or more times. Fifty percent of these women attempted to hide their names to minimize the backlash they were afraid of receiving. 

   Negative experiences that these women experience include being called offensive names (forty eight percent), someone trying to purposely embarrass them (twenty five percent), receiving distressing images online (fifteen percent), receiving death threats (fourteen percent), being physically threatened (eleven percent), being sexually harassed (seven percent), someone posting their personal information online without their consent (five percent), and receiving threats of rape (three percent). 

   Women also shared “types of negative experiences as a result of sharing their story.” These include judgment and name calling, online harassment, problems at work, loss of relationships with family or friends, loss of community, and public harassment. (https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2590151620300046?ref=pdf_download&fr=RR-2&rr=7a879d411cb1fd7e)

   Although these women are faced with so much negativity, they continue to share their stories. These women also shared the positive feedback they receive, including receiving supportive responses from friends and/or family (sixty five percent), being thanked or praised for sharing their story (sixty four percent), receiving supportive comments from strangers online (sixty percent), making new friends or connections with other women (fifty percent), being told their story make someone think differently about abortion (forty eight percent), receiving supportive comments from strangers in person (forty one percent), and being led to new work or professional opportunities (twenty four percent). 

   Women also shared the “positive impacts of sharing their story.” These include defying the stigma, combatting isolation, pride in helping others, leadership opportunities, transforming a negative experience into something positive, shifting others’ views on abortion, forming friendships and community, impacting the political process, and feeling protective of others who are more vulnerable. (https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2590151620300046?ref=pdf_download&fr=RR-2&rr=7a879d411cb1fd7e)

   These women have bravely shared their stories, and although they have been met with negative feedback, they continue to stand up for what they believe is right. Women go to a clinic to receive a medical procedure and are met with protesters calling them names and threatening them. Women should not be subjected to this after receiving an abortion. 

Work Cited:

https://nationalwomenshistoryalliance.org/history-of-the-womens-rights-movement/#:~:text=Like%20many%20amazing%20stories%2C%20the,lives%20were%20being%20unfairly%20constricted.&text=The%20Women’s%20Rights%20Movement%20marks%20July%2013%2C%201848%20as%20its%20beginning. 

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0010782412008153?via%3Dihub 

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2590151620300046?ref=pdf_download&fr=RR-2&rr=7a879d411cb1fd7e

   Each year nineteen to twenty million abortions are had by individuals without the credentials needed to perform this medical procedure and/or in environments below medical standards. Unsafe abortions remain one of the most neglected global public health challenges. Ninety-seven percent of these abortions are done in developing countries, and as a result, it is estimated that sixty-eight thousand women des each year. In addition, millions more of these women are faced with additional complications that are sometimes permanent. Some causes of death in these unsafe abortions include hemorrhage, infection, and poisoning. Worldwide, it sometimes does not matter if proper legislation is in place because there are other barriers preventing women from getting the care they need. This happens in India, where abortion has been legal for decades. 

   The reasons that women seek unsafe abortions differ. They include socioeconomic concerns, lack of awareness and education, family-building preferences, a risk to maternal or fetal health, poor access to contraceptives, contraception failure, and pregnancy resulting from rape or incest. It is found that people drink toxic solutions such as turpentine, laundry bleach, detergent solutions, acid, laundry bluing, cottonseed oil, and liquor in hopes of giving themselves an abortion. Women also take drugs such as uterine stimulants, Quinine, Chlorquinne (which is used for treating malaria), and oral contraceptive pills (which are ineffective in inducing an abortion). Treatments are also placed in the vagina or cervix. Foreign bodies, such as a stick dipped in oil, sugar, root or leaf of a plant, wire, knitting needle, rubber catheter, intrauterine contraceptive device, coat hanger, ballpoint pen, chicken bone, bicycle spoke, air blown by a syringe or turkey baster, are also placed into the uterus through the cervix. Women also inflict trauma upon themselves, such as abdominal or back trauma, lifting heavy weights, or jumping from the top of the stairs or the roof. These are extremely harmful towards to the mother and can lead to death. 

   In 1995, it was estimated that, annually, twenty-six million legal and twenty million abortions were committed. The use of terms such as mini abortion, miscarriage, menstrual regulation, and regulation of delayed or suspended menstruation could have skewed the data. IN 2000, there were nineteen million unsafe abortions. It is estimated that women in South America, eastern Africa, and western Africa are more inclined to have an unsafe abortions when compared to women in other regions. By age, the amount of unsafe abortions also varies by region. In Africa, twenty-five percent of all unsafe abortions are had by adolescents (women ages fifteen through nineteen), but compared to Asia, Latin America, and the Caribbean, the percentage is around ten percent and lower. In Asia, forty-two percent of women who get an unsafe abortion, and in Latin America and the Caribbean, thirty-three percent of women who get an unsafe abortion are aged thirty to forty-four years old. Compared to Africa, only twenty-three percent of women who get an unsafe abortion are thirty-three to forty. According to these statistics, it is predicted that women in the developing world will have had one unsafe abortion by the time they reach age forty-five. 

   It is estimated that eight women per hour, or sixty-eight thousand women, die per hour due to an unsafe abortion. “This prevalence translates into an estimated case fatality rate of three hundred sixty-seven deaths per one hundred thousand unsafe abortions, which is hundreds of times higher than that for safe, legal abortion in developed nations” (https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0140673606694816).  There are significant regional differences between the mortality rates of women who die from unsafe abortions. These differences are most likely caused by the safety provisions in the different areas and the access to care after the abortion. It is estimated that thirteen percent of all maternal deaths worldwide are caused by unsafe abortions, with Latin America being seventeen percent and southeastern Asia being nineteen percent. Matern mortality is defined as “the death of a woman from complications of pregnancy or childbirth that occur during the pregnancy or within six weeks after the pregnancy ends” (https://www.nichd.nih.gov/health/topics/maternal-morbidity-mortality#:~:text=Maternal%20morbidity%20describes%20any%20short,weeks%20after%20the%20pregnancy%20ends.) 

   Morbidity, or “any short or long-term health problems that result from being pregnant and giving birth,” is a more common result in unsafe abortions (https://www.nichd.nih.gov/health/topics/maternal-morbidity-mortality#:~:text=Maternal%20morbidity%20describes%20any%20short,weeks%20after%20the%20pregnancy%20ends.)  These complications include, “hemorrhage, sepsis, peritonitis, and trauma to the cervix, vagina, uterus, and abdominal organs” (https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0140673606694816). Twenty to fifty percent of women who have unsafe abortions are hospitalized. Safer abortion access has reduced the morbidity and hospitalization rate from 1990 to now. This decrease can be attributed to the increased use of misoprostol which replaced many invasive unsafe methods for abortions. Misoprostol is an abortion pill that “when used correctly, successfully terminates eighty to ninety-five percent of pregnancies without the need for surgical intervention, depending on regimen and pregnancy duration.” (https://www.ibisreproductivehealth.org/publications/misoprostol-alone-medication-abortion-safe-and-effective#:~:text=These%20medications%2C%20when%20used%20correctly,on%20regimen%20and%20pregnancy%20duration.). 

   The increase in legislation promoting abortion safety and access for women has led to a smaller mortality and morbidity rate. For example, in Kenya, the rate of women with severe complications lowered from seventeen percent to ten percent. Severe complications include a high fever, organ or system failure, generalized peritonitis, a pulse of one hundred twenty or more, shock, evidence of a foreign body, or mechanical injury.  

   These complications and deaths are preventable if women are given safer access to abortions and care after obtaining an abortion.

Work Cited: 

https://bmcwomenshealth.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12905-019-0751-0 

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0140673606694816 

https://www.nichd.nih.gov/health/topics/maternal-morbidity-mortality#:~:text=Maternal%20morbidity%20describes%20any%20short,weeks%20after%20the%20pregnancy%20ends. 

https://www.ibisreproductivehealth.org/publications/misoprostol-alone-medication-abortion-safe-and-effective#:~:text=These%20medications%2C%20when%20used%20correctly,on%20regimen%20and%20pregnancy%20duration. 

For my civic issue topic, I will be discussing abortion. 

Abortion data in the United States of America mainly comes from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the Guttmacher Institute. In 2020, the CDC reported 620,327 abortions in the District of Columbia and forty seven states. This is a one and a half percent decrease from the 629,898 reported in 2019. Guttmacher reported 930,160 abortions nationally in 2020, which is a one and a half percent increase from 2019, where 916,460 abortions were reported. Since 1973, Guttmacher reports more abortions annually. Abortions hit their peak in 1990 and have been on a steady decline since. The numbers reported only include abortions obtained in clinical settings and do not include abortions from using pills. 

Roe v. Wade was a Supreme Court case in 1973. The decision argued against the state criminal abortion laws in Texas. The laws in place at the time said abortions were only allowed when it was a life-saving procedure for the mother. The court ended up deciding that it was the woman’s right to decide to terminate her pregnancy or not. It was decided that otherwise, it would violate the Due process Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment. This protected state action the right to privacy, including if women can decide if they should or should not terminate their pregnancy. The findings of Roe V. Wade were “Women Have the right to abort pre-viability without undue interference from the state. The state may restrict abortion post-viability. The state has a legitimate interest in protecting the woman’s health and the life of the fetus” (https://www.law.cornell.edu/wex/roe_v_wade_(1973)). After the Roe V. Wade decision, forty six states needed to change their abortion laws which caused controversy. 

According to the CDC, abortions are divided into two categories: surgical abortions and medication abortions. Medication abortions use pills. Fifty three percent of abortions use the pill, which was approved by the Food and Drug Administration in 2000. According to that administration, medication abortions are safe to use ten weeks into pregnancy. The other type of abortion, surgical abortions, are procedures done during the first trimester of the pregnancy. These procedures use a suction process, whereas the procedures are done in the second trimester use a process called dilation and evacuation. In 2020, ninety three percent of abortions were given to the woman in their first trimester, which is thirteen weeks before gestation. Six percent happened between the fourteen and twenty week period, and one percent occurred at or after the twenty one week mark. 

The total number of abortion providers is steadily declining since 1982. In 1982 there were 2,908 abortion providers in the United States. In 2020 there were only 1,603. Abortion providers are divided into four categories: physicians’ offices, hospitals, abortion clinics, and other clinics. It was reported that in 2020, although abortion and other clinics only make up fifty percent of abortion providers, they provide ninety six perfect of all abortions given to patients. There are also regional differences for where there is a decline and increase in abortion clinics. Abortions clinics increased by eleven percent in the Midwest and by six percent in the West. The number of abortion clinics decreased in the Northeast by nine percent and three percent in the South. 

With the recent overturning of Roe V. Wade and some states having stricter abortion laws, women in need of an abortion often travel to different states to obtain the procedures they need. In 2020, almost ten percent of all abortions were given to women in states different from the one they reside in. This is a decline from prior to 1973, when states still had the option to ban abortion. 

Despite the recent overturning of Roe V. Wade, reproductive health care services, including abortion, are still accessible and legal in the state of Pennsylvania. In Pennsylvania, abortion is legal up until the twenty third week of the woman’s pregnancy and after that, only when the woman’s life is in danger. Surgical and medication abortions are still legal in Pennsylvania. In addition, Pennsylvania has an executive order “designed to protect persons seeking reproductive health care services and medical professionals offering those services from discipline in other states”. (https://www.health.pa.gov/topics/disease/Maternal-Health/Pages/Abortion.aspx#:~:text=Both%20medication%20and%20in%2Dclinic,from%20discipline%20in%20other%20states.) 

Most women who obtain an abortion are in their twenties. Fifty seven percent of women who obtain an abortion are in their twenties, thirty one percent are in their thirties, eight percent are teenagers, and four percent are in their forties. This disproves the narrative that mostly teenagers get abortions. Eighty six percent of women who gets an abortion are unmarried, according to the CDC.

In addition, there is a narrative that women use getting an abortion as birth control, which is not true for a majority of women. Fifty eight percent of women getting an abortion in 2020 it was their first abortion, twenty four percent their second, ten percent their third, and eight percent their fourth or higher. Also, only thirty nine percent of women having an abortion have had no previous births, twenty five percent had one, twenty percent had two, ten percent had three, and six percent had four or more births. 

Although abortion access has been changing recently, there are still options to obtain an abortion if you are in need. It is not uncommon, although not convenient, to travel to a different state with different regulations to obtain the necessary medical procedure. Abortion is a controversial topic but is not uncommon, and women shouldn’t have to be ashamed for making the decision that they believe is best for them. 

 

Work Cited

https://www.law.cornell.edu/wex/roe_v_wade_(1973) https://www.law.cornell.edu/supremecourt/text/410/113 

https://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2023/01/11/what-the-data-says-about-abortion-in-the-u-s-2/  

https://www.health.pa.gov/topics/disease/Maternal-Health/Pages/Abortion.aspx#:~:text=Both%20medication%20and%20in%2Dclinic,from%20discipline%20in%20other%20states.