*content including abortion may be triggering to some
Though abortion rights in The United States were granted in Roe v Wade (1973), they have proven to be hollow rights as the government that claims to allow women said reproductive rights is the same government making it nearly impossible to access these laws. How do they do it? TRAP laws. TRAP stands for Targeted Regulations on Abortion Providers. Essentially, these laws claim to help mothers but interject themselves onto the supposedly secure and trustworthy doctor-patient relationship. TRAP laws include Indiana’s proposed mandatory funerals for all aborted fetuses (thanks to everyone’s favorite Mike Pence), the governmental defunding of Planned Parenthood, and the rarely discussed mandated counseling waiting times. These laws are unethical, unreasonable, and dangerous for women everywhere.
Women of low income are affected greatly as a result of these laws. The use of Medicaid, a savior for many people of low income, is restricted in cases of abortion (not including that of rape, incest, or medical concerns) under 1976’s Hyde Amendment. Women in general, but specifically women of lower income, are also hurt by the defunding of Planned Parenthood. Organizations that offer free exams, contraception, etc. rely heavily on funding from the government and donations. If they are defunded, they often have no choice but to shut the majority of their clinics down. In many southern states including Mississippi and Kentucky, only one Planned Parenthood exists. And these are large states! If there are fewer clinics to go to, many women are forced to travel far away to their nearest clinic. This bears a striking resemblance to phenomena in the times before Roe v Wade. When a rich woman needed an abortion before it was legal, they would fly to Great Britain and have the procedure done. However, many could not afford such an expense and were forced either to give birth or resort to back alley abortions, which put many lives on the line and is a big reason abortion is legal in America today. Today, to frequently travel to a clinic so far away takes precious time and money away from working families. Time away from family and time away from work results in an even greater financial loss.
Furthermore, they would have to undergo mandated counseling waiting time. As anyone who has undergone a surgery before knows, doctors legally need to make sure the patient is informed enough about their procedure to make a consensual decision. This is an important and necessary concept, however, it is mistreated in cases of abortion. The abortion mandated counseling waiting times require 24 hours in between counseling and the procedure designed to shame the patient by making them think about the “gravity” of their decision. Not to mention this “information” is mostly corrupt, many states requiring the patient to be made aware of the age of their fetus, whether or not the fetus can feel pain, the exaggerated risk of abortion, and some states are even required to say that life begins at conception (which is false and wildly inappropriate to tell someone seeking an abortion), and that there is a link between abortion and breast cancer (which, just to clarify, is completely false). These ridiculous and unethical guilt tactics and waiting times cause a longer trip. Women traveling will need a hotel room and childcare if they already have a kid, which roughly 60% of people seeking an abortion have. This is increasing the price of their trip further, making the entire procedure cost more than most people of low income can afford to spend.
In conclusion, TRAP laws make the way abortion is handled in modern day America based in fear, lacking compassion, and, in my opinion, are an embarrassment to the modern medical practice. I could personally rant about abortion accessibility and why TRAP laws are inherently sexist and why they make a hard decision even more difficult to make for years (without exaggeration), but it all comes down to this important question– why give the illusion of rights if only the privileged can use them?
Specific abortion rules vary state to state.
If you are interested in donating to Planned Parenthood, visit http://www.plannedparenthood.org/get-involved/other-ways-give
Bold Magazine 
Fantastic article clearly outlining the illegal and disgusting treatment towards women seeking abortion. Well written!
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If these females actually didn’t try to murder the child growing within them, we wouldn’t be having this discussion. And you are the one bypassing facts in order to further your narrative. Those are unborn people – human fetuses if you prefer – not some random, unaffiliated “organism.”
But we’re not going to reach an agreement. You side with the baby murderers and I don’t. As to what I’m doing to fix the issue – I’m working and voting for the absolute abolishment of abortion in the US and for providing legal protection for Americans who are forced by circumstance and conscience to use lethal force to defend the unborn from their would-be killers.
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Here’s a trick: these females could just stop trying to murder their own babies.
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With all due respect, you and I both know that’s not true. No woman “wants” or purposefully “tries” to murder the organism growing inside of them. I understand you have a different belief but a major part of the reason we can’t get ANYWHERE with this issue is because of comments like yours, which dodge factuality and jump to claims and insults (however passive-aggressive they may be), rather than productively adding to the conversation. I understand you’re angry, but how exactly are you trying to fix the problem?
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