Quote:
Originally Posted by Kobi
Surprised me as well.
Have mixed feelings about the implications of the decision tho. On the one hand, it is a tremendous victory for the health care for all and especially for women.
On the other hand, I am fearful it will escalate the attacks on womens reproductive rights and womens sexuality in general.
From the Center for Reproductive rights: "Not surprisingly, the opponents of reproductive rights are furious about today's decision. The anti-choice group Americans United for Life just launched an alert rallying their supporters to "sustain the attack against tax-payer funded abortion." They've created the "Federal Abortion-Mandate Opt-Out Act"—which eight states have already used to block insurance plans currently covering abortion from receiving federal funding in their state exchanges."
Sigh.
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What scares me the most are the young women of pregnancy age in the USA that have no memory of what it was like when abortion was illegal and unsafe abortions were the only way to terminate, unless they had money and could find a licensed physician willing to perform a "D&C".
Of course there are countries in the world where there is not access to legal abortions and/or due to stigma, even if abortion is legal, do not seek them.
Some sobering facts below:
There are over 1.7 billion young people aged 10-24 in the world (PRB 2006).
This is the largest population of young people in history. Their sociocultural environment and circumstances are changing, which can affect the likelihood of unwanted pregnancy and abortion:
• Girls are reaching puberty earlier now than in previous decades (WHO et al. 2006).
• Due to global efforts to broaden opportunities for young women, many are now staying in school longer, migrating further away from their birth place, entering the workforce in larger numbers and marrying later.
• Pregnancy and motherhood outside of marriage are stigmatized in many societies, which may cause young, unmarried pregnant women to seek abortion. Other reasons that are independent of marital status include a desire to continue education; an unsupportive or absent partner; inadequate resources; the pregnancy resulted from violence or abuse; health risks; or the woman does not want to become a mother at that time, or at all.
There are many social, economic, logistical, policy and health system barriers to safe abortion care for young women, including:
stigma and negative attitudes, fear of negative repercussions, lack of access to comprehensive sexuality education, limited financial resources, cost of care, transportation, involvement laws and concerns over privacy and confidentiality.
http://www.ipas.org/~/media/Files/Ip.../ACYTKE11.ashx
Almost two dozen states in the USA have passed or are considering, laws that would make birth control and abortion harder to access. And results of a recent national poll kicked up even more dust.
The Gallup Poll suggests that the percentage of Americans who call themselves "pro-choice" is at its lowest point since the survey first asked in 1995.
Back then, 56% identified as "pro-choice" and 33% as "pro-life." Today, more than half of those surveyed say they are "pro-life," and only 41% claim to be "pro-choice."
The percentage of Americans who think abortion should be outlawed has remained steady for years at around 20%.
But more than half of those polled this year pronounced abortion "morally wrong."
Planned Parenthood's Serena Josel blames semantics: "The terms 'pro-choice' and 'pro-life' are such packed shorthand.
"They work in the political sphere to put people in categories. But these are intensely personal issues," she said. "Those labels don't leave much room for the complicated realities of people's lives."
The young women that Josel works with "have concerns that go beyond abortion, to contraception access, cancer screenings, healthcare they can trust and afford," she said.
"A lot of them see themselves as pro-life and pro-choice. They would never choose in their lives to have an abortion. But they don't think it's right to restrict someone else's choice."
The movement has to engage those women. That's where sharing stories comes in.
Our recollections are a way to educate a generation that can't imagine being ashamed to ask for a pregnancy test just because there is no wedding ring.
Young women have grown up in California with the expectation of reproductive freedom — with mothers who put them on the pill at 16 and drugstore access to the morning-after Plan B. There are so many ways to not get pregnant, some see abortion as a consequence of carelessness, rather than a reprieve from misfortune.
Our values might match, but our language differs: They don't recognize the shorthand Roe vs. Wade.
Choice to them translates to consumer options, like whole milk or soy with that latte.
http://articles.latimes.com/2012/jun...nks-20120602/2