By Neha Mehta
Exactly
41 years ago, the Supreme Court took a major step forward in the fight for
women’s health. Roe v. Wade was
decided in a world where illegal abortions were often incredibly
dangerous,
but the only option for many. Its impact of course reached far beyond the
realm of constitutional analysis: in the real world, Roe brought increased access to safe and legal abortions, which is
absolutely necessary to protect women’s health.
Unfortunately,
as we look across the nation today, we see numerous state laws threatening a
woman’s access to safe and legal abortions. For example, TRAP
(Targeted Regulation of Abortion Providers) laws single out
abortion providers and clinics by imposing burdensome regulations, naturally barring
access to safe and legal abortions in the 20 states where the laws stand. The Hyde
Amendment,
recently reinforced
by the Affordable Care Act, limits federal insurance coverage for abortions and has led to
many harmful state laws
restricting not only public, but even
private insurance coverage of abortion. These laws overwhelmingly impact low-income
women, who do not have the funds or means to retrieve abortions with such
barriers.
Thankfully,
the tide is turning.
Women’s
rights advocates in the legislature and national and state organizations are
uniting to bring back safe and legal abortions for all women. The Women’s
Health Protection Act, federal legislation recently proposed by
Senator Blumenthal, promotes women’s health by officially prohibiting laws, such as
TRAP, that single out abortion services and subsequently bar women’s access to
safe and legal abortions. The law
prioritizes safety and health, and puts the choice of whether to terminate
the pregnancy solely with the woman and her physician.
As
noted above, a woman’s choice in whether to terminate her pregnancy is
frequently impacted by insurance restrictions. All* Above All is a national campaign taking
a bold stand
against the Hyde Amendment and similar restrictions to ensure access to safe and legal
abortions for all women. Instead of accepting the status quo that federal funds
cannot be used for abortion, these advocates are working with local
organizations and individuals to fight existing barriers to insurance coverage.
In
Washington State specifically, Legal Voice and many of our partners are working
tirelessly to pass the Reproductive
Parity Act,
which would ensure that all insurance plans that cover maternity care also
provide abortion care, and a municipal resolution urging support for
comprehensive abortion coverage through public and private insurance.
Indeed,
these initiatives are just a few of the many around
the country united with a common hope that the potential of Roe will soon be realized—that all women,
regardless of socioeconomic status or residence, will have access to safe and
legal abortions.
Neha
Mehta is an intern at Legal Voice and a third-year student at Harvard Law
School. As a California native, she looks forward to returning there upon graduation
in May, and hopes to work for women’s rights throughout her career.
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