NY TIMES ARTICLE – SEPTEMBER 18, 2005 ON ABORTION
More than one in five pregnancies end in abortion.
More than 25 million Americans have had abortions since Roe v. Wade in 1973.
Though abortion rates have been falling since 1990, to their lowest level since the mid-1970’s, abortion remains one of the most common surgical procedures for women in America.
At abortion clinic in Little Rock, Arkansas - Leah works in a clothing boutique; Alicia is in High School. Tammy pulls espresso. Regina is a sergeant in the Army, recently home from Iraq.
Brittany, 17, brought her mother for support. Linda, 39, brought her daughter. Alexia wore a cross pendant and prayed for two and one half hours on her drive over. At 23, this is her third abortion. She is a Baptist. Her religion is against abortion.
Two groups dominate public conversations: 1) the fetus is a complete person with full rights, and 2) the fetus is a non-entity with no rights.
While abortion rates have been falling generally since 1990, the decline has been steepest among teenagers, and rates are lowest among educated, financially secure women.
The solitary protester outside is Jim Dawson, 74, standing the court-mandated distance from entrance, he video-tapes those who enter. He drives 40 miles each day and has cardboard signs that say “abortion kills.” He usually departs by mid-morning.
Women entering the clinic are mainly in their 20’s, more likely to be poor and African-American than the area population. Most were already mothers, many were single. They arrived as a result of failure of one sort or another: 1) poor sexual decision, 2) a broken relationship, 3) a birth control method that did not work
More than one half of all women who have abortions say they used a contraceptive method in the month they conceived.
In the 1990’s abortion rates for poor and low-income women has increased – possibly due to the welfare overhaul in 1996 that reduced support systems for women who carry their fetuses to term.
At every income level studied African-American women were more likely to terminate their pregnancies than white women.
Leah, 26, said money was a factor. She had always said that she would never have an abortion. “I’m pro-choice for cases of incest or rape, but if it’s your own fault, you should accept responsibility, and it’s my own fault.”
In Arkansas, as in many states, abortion providers are required to offer women their ultrasound images before an abortion. Leah was just five weeks pregnant. So, the ultrasound showed only a lifeless mass. “If I saw an actual fetal baby on the ultrasound, I wouldn’t have been able to go through with it,” she said. She said that she felt selfish, but she hoped that it would set her on a straighter path.
The procedure took only minutes. “I felt relieved more than anything. I know I’ll never forget it, but I’d rather do that than have a child I can’t take care of.”
Karen, 29, expressed no qualms about ending her pregnancy at 20 weeks. Like nearly half of all women who have abortions, she had had one before. She has a 9 year old son, and felt she could not start again with a newborn child.
For many women at the clinic their desire to end their pregnancy clashed with their religious beliefs. Tammy, a Muslim, had her first abortion a year ago, after having three children. She is married and works in a coffee shop. She became pregnant after taking her birth control pills erratically. “I believe it’s wrong. I pray to God to forgive me. This will be the last one. Never, never again.”
Since 1992, when the Supreme Court recognized states’ authority to restrict abortion as long as they did not create an “undue burden,” states have enacted 487 laws restricting patients or providers. Mandatory counseling, waiting periods and parental consent for minors. The result is a patchwork of laws and regulations that vary from state to state. In surveys, Americans largely support these restrictions, even if they say abortion should be legal.
Arkansas, which before Roe v. Wade had one of the most liberal abortion laws, now has one of the most restrictive. State-scripted counseling required at least a day before the procedure, and parental consent for minors. At 20 weeks, doctors are required to tell patients that the fetus feels pain, though this is medically disputed.
Under Arkansas law, as in 34 states that require parental consent or notification, juveniles can bypass their parents if they persuade a judge that they are mature enough to make the decision themselves, or that it might be in their best interest.
New licensing laws, enacted in 28 states, require providers to comply with state codes for equipment, record-keeping, building grounds and other areas.
The number of doctors in Arkansas who perform more than occasional abortions has fallen to three, down from six in the late 1990’s. The youngest doctor is 59.
Threats against abortion clinics are down in part because of stricter laws to protect clinics, but picketing has remained steady, at 80 percent of clinics.
As laws become more restrictive, technology has gone the other way, making abortions possible both earlier and later in pregnancy, and by pill or surgery. Doctors can perform abortions as early as eight days after conception, and 59 percent of women having abortions do so within eight weeks. Fewer than 1 per cent have abortions after 20 weeks.
A late term procedure called intact dilation and extraction, sometimes known as partial-birth abortion, accounts for less than two-tenths of 1 percent of all abortions. Fewer than 1 in 50 providers performs those abortions.
Sept. 2000 FDA approved the drug RU-486 for early abortion. More than 460,000 women have chosen this option. It is given in combination with a second drug, usually over 2-3 days, and requires a follow-up by a doctor. In Arkansas few patients choose the pills over surgery. With the pills the discomfort is significant because a woman has to go through mini-labor. There is a lot of hard cramps and usually significant bleeding. It is cheaper and safer and less painful to have a surgical termination.
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