SSN Commentary

Fighting for More Than Access: Why the Quality of Your Abortion Matters

Policy field

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Old Dominion University

Originally published as "Fighting for More Than Access: Why the Quality of Your Abortion Matters," Rewire News Group, September 17, 2021.

Abortion access has multiple dimensions.

There’s the legal right to an abortion, but that doesn’t make it accessible—since January, 16 states have enacted a record-breaking 83 abortion restrictions, including the extreme abortion ban that went into effect in Texas at the beginning of this month.

Then there’s financial accessibility, which is hampered by the Hyde Amendment preventing federal funds like Medicaid from paying for abortion.