There were some great letters to the editor published in the NYTimes this week in response to last week's article about self-induced abortion in the Dominican community. You can see my thoughts about the piece here, but I wanted to highlight some of the great responses.
From the letters section:
From Silvia Henriquez and Melanie Zurek:
Self-induced abortion does raise questions about women's experience, but glossing over the challenges of gaining access to abortion services does nothing to answer these questions. It neither reflects the reality of abortion delivery nor the reality of women's lives.
From Anne Davis:
As we approach the anniversary of Roe v. Wade, physicians need to remember that reproductive health care remains a challenge, even in New York City. We must work within our communities to ensure that women know how to navigate the health care system.
From David S. Cohen:
Your article is an excellent reminder of the struggles facing poor women who seek basic reproductive health care in this country. Because of a law called the Hyde Amendment, which was first enacted in 1976 and renewed each year since, women on Medicaid are not covered for the cost of an abortion.Unlike other basic health needs for men and women, this procedure, which nearly one-third of all women in the United States will have by the end of their reproductive years, is specifically carved out of coverage. For poor women in Washington Heights, paying $30 for a risky and illegal drug is much more realistic than paying several hundred dollars (or much more) for a legal abortion out of their own pockets.
If President-elect Barack Obama is serious about improving the health of poor women, one of his first agenda items should be the repeal of the Hyde Amendment. In the meantime, poor women will, at best, turn to private assistance through local abortion funds, or, at worst, turn to risky medicine that is the modern equivalent of the back-alley abortion.
There is also an article at RH Reality Check with more on advocate's responses.
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Great letters. Abortions are covered by provincial insurance in Canada, and I've often wondered why I haven't heard more about the incredible expense Abortion can be in the U.S.
Extreme Self-induced abortion:
My grandmother recently told me a friend of hers died from using a hanger to abort her child during the 1950's. Apparently the girl was terrified her mother would freak out because of their strong catholic upbringing. To make matters worse, her father was killed in Korea about a year later. The mother had a nervous breakdown. For some reason this story resonates very heavily when I see the continued attack on abortion rights.