As a primary resource for policy and research analysis on issues affecting abortion in the United States, the Guttmacher Institute assesses the barriers to obtaining the service, incidences and the reasons for obtaining these services (Wind, 2016). This is because the topic of abortion sparks debates across various forums in the United States because it expresses the right to health and reproductive rights. The institute, therefore, tracks down any legislation in the country that targets abortion and evaluates the demography of patients to ensure that women have access to legal and clinical abortions. Based on the collected data by the Guttmacher, it is conclusive to say that abortion is one of the safest procedures if done in the right medical and legal conditions.
Guttmacher facts on abortion
In my analysis of the report on the demographics of abortion from this institute, I found that the authors used the Guttmacher Institute’s Abortion Provider Census to conclude that the most prominent factor that is the economic status. The institute found that most abortion patients fell under the poverty line because they were low income earners (Wind, 2016). The increased incidences of those seeking abortion services occurred due to the introduction of the Affordable Care Act in 2008, which guarantees poor people access to insurance packages. Today this group of people access plans as opposed to the past where they lacked insurance and could not afford the relatively high cost of accessing clinical abortion.
Delegate your assignment to our experts and they will do the rest.
The institute also acknowledges that the demography of the patients influences the number of cases of abortion (Wind, 2016). Today most people in the middle or upper social class pay for abortion from their pockets for secrecy purposes; these factors contribute to the low number of reported cases. Through analysis of the use of Medicaid covers, the institute can access these incidences and make this analysis. The institute also identifies the barriers to abortions such as the Hyde Amendment, which bans the use of federal-insurance covers on abortions. The amendment makes exceptions that the reason for abortion arises from incest, rape or life endangerment of both mother and or child (Wind, 2016). Factors that discourage patients from choosing to abort only jeopardize the health and wellbeing of the patient.
Another finding, according to the Guttermacher on abortion is that there is a lowering of margin on the age of patients seeking abortion services (Wind, 2016). The age difference is due to the increased sexual activities among people of younger ages attributed to the level of sexual identity at a younger age than in the past. Another factor is the introduction to the accessibility of these services from a young age in the school curriculum.
Abortion facts
There are so many facts I obtained about abortion before visiting the Institute. The first aspect is that there is need to review and evaluate the medical and ethical procedures influencing abortion due to the reported rising cases. Many countries that prohibit abortion procedures cite specific conditions for inevitable induced abortion. An example is a case where the woman’s pregnancy causes life-threatening situations such as an ectopic pregnancy. In such cases, it is the decision of the medical practitioners to terminate the pregnancy and save the mother’s life despite her ideologies on the abortion issues. Other universally accepted reasons include rape, conception via incest and baby’s life endangerment. However, the institute asserts that abortion procedures are now cheaper than in the past and therefore many women are resorting it. Today abortion is affordable through plans such as Medicaid, which ensures that even the poor persons can access the service.
Additionally, I had prior knowledge that evaluation of the demographics in the health interventions can ensure adoption of healthy abortions thus minimizing risks of excessive bleeding or new infections. In the past, there was lack of proper financial and proper health services, which jeopardized the physical and mental health of women below the poverty line. However, the new concept of abortion is that the woman has rights to make decisions. In the past, poor people could not practice these rights due to the expensive services offered by medical institutions. The other costs included adverse side effects if health practitioners who did not have a license to operate illegal health centers provided the abortion services.
With the introduction of Medicaid, this economic group can afford abortion services, and that explains the reason there is an increase in the percentage of people categorized as poor falling victims of abortion patients. These people only had access to illegal means, which caused death due to complications and inadequate aftercare. When done within the legal and medical ethics, abortion is one of the safest procedures. The statistics of the teenagers having more abortion rates than people in their twenties and thirties is also familiar because of the increased awareness of the sexual identity. Another fact I had prior to learning from this institute is that sexuality of the women obtaining abortion services, like heterosexuality, greatly influence abortion rates.
According to Wind (2016), the institute offers a range of information to women, which enables them to use other alternatives such as birth control and family planning methods. This information is based on a survey from the institute, which documented a drop in the abortion rates significantly from 2003 to 2008 due to the introduction of birth control and family planning methods. According to Wind’s article appearing n the Guttmacher Institute website, most abortion patients were categorized as poor or living below the poverty level in 2014 as opposed to the smaller figures in 2008 (Wind, 2016).
New information
It is surprising that the Hyde Amendment only covers incidences of abortion relating to aspects of life endangerment, incest, and rape. The Hyde Amendment bans all abortions to patients that have federally funded Medicaid insurances. I find the sanction discriminative based on human rights. Every woman is entitled to exercise her rights and freedom with regard to their bodies. Incidences that restrict the choice of the woman therefore violate the human rights. With more women accessing knowledge and physical resources on family planning today than in the past, the abortion rates shall reduce.
The Guttmacher institute also offers new information on health risks that are associated with the termination of pregnancy in unethical and non-legal standards. The danger among the low income earners includes the exposure to new uterine infections and the implications on future infertility (Wind, 2016). The health risk is also on a class basis because most middle class and upper class women can access the medical procedures by paying from their pockets. Therefore, the introduction of the Medicaid plan is very significant in improving the mental and physical health of people that categorize as low income earners.
The Affordable Care Act has also improved the life of women and families significantly because it has reduced the financial burden of raising many children. As a government initiative, the plan covers abortion services for people below the poverty line, therefore acting as a family planning strategy. The psychological implications have also reduced significantly because of the support system that is in the legal access to abortion facilities. Through the availability of established medical centers and specialists in performing abortion procedures, women have a safe and affordable place to choose not to have a child.
Reference
Wind, R. (2016). Abortion Patients More Likely to be Poor in 2014 than in 2008 . Guttmacher Institute . Retrieved 19 November 2016, from https://www.guttmacher.org/news-release/2016/abortion-patients-more-likely-be-poor-2014-2008
