Introduction
For our policy topic, our group had interest in advocating for women, sex workers, human trafficking victims, the LGBTQ community and mental health care for women during pregnancy. We reigned it in and settled on Women’s Reproductive Rights, with a focus on abortion; A very interesting and controversial issue. For the project, we were required to complete an interview with an agency that follows our chosen topic of interest. We initially had two interviews set up, one of which was completed in person and one which turned into gathering information from the agency’s website. Later in the paper we will discuss why organizations, such as these, are so resistant and hesitant to allow interviews.
BASIC AGENCY INFORMATION
For the in-person interview, we interviewed Founder’s Women’s Health Center (FWHC). FWHC is located in Columbus, Ohio at 1243 East Broad Street. It is a part of Capital Care Network of Toledo Ohio and owned by T&S Management of Columbus. It is one of two clinics located in Columbus, and one of only eleven clinics throughout the state of Ohio, that provide abortion services. We were informed that FWHC has been forced to move three times since they opened in 1973, due to anti-choice activists continually harassing their landlords until their leases were all terminated. The current location of FWHC is now their permanent location because they own the building and land. We met with Terrie Hubbard and Colleen, whose last name was not provided. Terrie can be reached 24 hours a day on her personal cell phone at (740) 272-7269, or via email at terriehubbard@gmail.com. FWHC can be contacted by phone at (614)251-1800 or on their website, which provides detailed information of services and expenses at WWW.founderswhc.com.
Terrie Hubbard is the CEO, current owner of Founder’s Women’s Health Center, and also works as a Registered Nurse for the agency. Terrie has been in this specific field for over thirty years. Colleen is an advocate and works with the agency’s finances. Attached to this paper is a chart illustrating the staffing at FWHC. They currently have fifteen staff members, one volunteer, and no social workers. FWHC works closely with Choice Network, which provide social workers when needed. All of the agency staff and medical students escort the clients safely to their cars so that they are not harassed by the picketers outside of the clinic. The anti-choice picketers refer to the escorts as “Deathscorts.” The picketers are generally older, white males but Terrie said she has seen infants and elderly people outside the building. There is a group of men, called Brothers for Choice, who counter the protesters peacefully with their own interpretation of the bible and help protect the clients from harassment. There is a very high turnover rate for employees at this agency due to the constant harassment and lack of job security. Terrie stated they never know if they will be open the next day.
Founder’s Women’s Health Center often refers women to Ohio Religious Coalition for Reproductive Choice or a talk-line called Backline. The coalition can be reached by phone at (614) 943-3939. They are ran by clergy who accept every religion or non-faith based beliefs. The religious coalition brings to bear the moral power of religious communities to ensure reproductive choice through education, advocacy and counseling. The coalition seeks to give clear voice to the reproductive issues of people of color, those living in poverty, and other underserved populations. Backline promotes unconditional and judgment free support for the full spectrum of decisions, feelings, and experiences with pregnancy, parenting, abortion and adoption. Through direct service and social change strategies they are building a world where all people can make the reproductive decisions that are right for them, without coercion or limitation, and where the dignity of lived experiences is affirmed and honored. Backline can be reached 24 hours a day and 7 days a week at their toll free line 1-888-493-0092. They are staffed by a team of dedicated volunteer advocates who have had more than forty hours of specialized pregnancy training.
Founder’s Women’s Health Center was created in 1973 by Dr. Harley Blank, MD who performed the first legal abortion in Ohio. FWHC is an Ohio Certified Ambulatory Surgical Facility (ASF), and adhere to all requirements set by ASF and the Ohio Department of Health. The staff are trained in American Heart Association Basic Life Support for Healthcare Providers and their nurses are trained in Advanced Cardiac Life Support. FWHC serve a diverse population that come from anywhere in Ohio, Kentucky, West Virginia and Indiana, which only has one abortion clinic for the entire state! FWHC’s targeted population is women between the ages of twelve and forty, which is the typical menstruation lifespan. The youngest patient that the clinic has performed an abortion for was twelve years old and abuse was involved in the pregnancy. Terri stated that a fairly diverse population seek their services; Races which include but are not limited to Hispanic, Indian, Asian, Caucasian and African American.
Founder’s Women’s Health Center’s mission is that an unplanned pregnancy recognizes no socioeconomic class, education, occupation, religion, or political affiliation. Their goal is to ensure that each woman has the opportunity to weigh all of her options and obtain the knowledge and resources necessary to make the best decision for her life. Whether she chooses abortion care, referral to an adoption agency, family planning services, or annual exams, FWHC is there to help. In short, they provide quality care for all patients. We were informed that many women today still take the risk of trying to do a self-abortion with pills that they can buy online, which is extremely dangerous and life-threatening without proper medical supervision. If Roe vs. Wade is overturned, this will be the equivalent of “back alley abortions” that took place before the policy was passed. FWHC’s objective is that OB-GYN physicians and staff strive to provide patients with a safe, secure, and caring environment to support them in their reproductive health choices. They believe that every woman is entitled to excellent medical care and compassionate support. FWHC believes in every woman’s right to reproductive choice.
Founder’s Women’s Health Center provides services to twenty to fifty women a day, four days a week. This number has grown in the last few years due to lack of facilities. FWHC offers all options in pregnancy counseling. In addition to providing abortion care, they provide contraception, STD testing, annual pap smears, cervical cancer screenings, cryosurgery and colposcopies. They also do referrals for adoption services, pregnancy continuation and prenatal care and counseling, as well as, shelter for women who are experiencing abuse or trauma.
Founders is a for-profit organization because they have to be. Any money that is made is put back into the company. All of the services are to be paid up front, as there is no government funding, sliding scale, or insurance accepted. If a patient cannot pay for the desired services, a staff member will call different pro-choice organizations, such as the National Abortion Federation, National Network of Abortion Funds, Women Have Options or Women’s Reproductive Rights Assistance Project, to solicit funds to the patient in need. Terrie shared that there have been numerous times that she has even helped pay the expenses for a procedure out of her own pocket.
FUNDING & FINANCING
For several reasons, Founder’s Women’s Health Center does not accept health insurance as payment for care. The reasons are as follows:
1. To keep all cost fair and consistent: Insurance companies typically anticipate a discount in order for FWHC to be a provider. Since they try to keep the cost of their services realistic for all of their patients, this could mean that they would have to charge their non-insured patients more for a procedure.
2. Little to no government coverage: Most health insurances in the state of Ohio do not cover abortion. All government insurance programs, such as Medicaid or Medicare, are prohibited from covering abortion services. Federal Government or the State of Ohio insurances also prohibit covering such services.
3. Privacy: Most patients want to keep their decision private. If there is a contract with an insurance company, that contract requires FWHC to submit a claim for all services that are provided, whether or not they even cover the service. It would be hard to say who could get their hands on the patient’s sensitive information. They can provide a receipt to be submitted to a patient’s health insurance company for reimbursement.
Founder’s Women’s Health Center believes that all women should have access to full reproductive care regardless of income level. As mentioned earlier in this paper, FWHC works with several 3rd party pro-choice organizations to acquire funds to help patient’s that cannot pay for the services on their own. One of the organizations that FWHC works closely with is Women Have Options (womenhaveoptions.org). Women Have Options or (WHO/O) is Ohio’s statewide abortion fund. Founded in 1992, they are an organization dedicated to helping Ohioans afford services for their reproductive choices. They believe that everyone should be able to make their own reproductive decisions and are a founding member of the National Network of Abortion Funds. They receive grants from national foundations, but most resources come from individual donors. Women Have Options is a member of the Freedom of Choice Ohio (FOCO) coalition, which also include:
• American Civil Liberties Union of Ohio
• American Association of University Women
• League of Women Voters of Ohio
• NARAL Pro-Choice Ohio
• National Association of Social Workers Ohio Chapter
• National Council of Jewish Women—Columbus Section
• Ohio National Organization for Women (NOW)
• Ohio Religious Coalition for Reproductive Choice
• Planned Parenthood Advocates of Ohio
• Preterm
• Progress Ohio
Another funding source that works closely with Founder’s Women’s Health Center is National Abortion Federation (NAF) (prochoice.org). NAF is the association of abortion providers in North America. NAF was established when an abortion provider service organization, the National Association of Abortion Facilities (NAAF), and the National Abortion Council (NAC), merged in 1977. The two groups were formed to serve the needs of abortion providers and women seeking abortion care. They believe that whether a clinic is large or small, they all exist for the same reason: every woman needs to have the ability to make her own decision about having a child, no matter her income. Nearly all abortion funds get their money from private donors.
Founder’s Women’s Health Center also works closely with Women’s Reproductive Rights Assistance Program (WRRAP) (http://wrrap.org/) to assist patient’s that cannot afford their services. Founded in 1991, WRRAP assists women of all ages, ethnicities and cultural backgrounds who are financially unable to pay for safe, legal abortions or emergency contraceptives. They provide funds to pre-screened, pre-qualified health clinics across the nation in need of abortion services or emergency contraceptives, on a case-by-case basis. WRRAP does not demand repayment of funds and will never judge the women they assist. Their mission is to ensure that all women, from all walks of life, are afforded the equal opportunity to gain access to safe, legal abortion services and emergency contraceptives. WRRAP operates on a high-efficiency, all volunteer model, enabling them to direct 90% of donated funds to help women in crisis. WRRAP’s funding comes from private sources through their own fundraising efforts.
Terrie was unable to answer our questions of exactly how Founder’s Women’s Health Center receives such funding. However, Colleen told us that when a client cannot pay for services, she will contact these organizations on the client’s behalf. We are unsure of how FWHC demonstrates accountability for application of any funding for the policy, as all the funds are used just for the desired procedure, which includes the cost of the equipment and to pay the staff a small wage. Due to the nature of funding being on an individual, as-needed basis, we are unsure of the amount and break down, as the funds are donations and can greatly fluctuate. Without concreate evidence, we can only speculate that because FWHC is under constant scrutiny, they follow and up hold all standards and guidelines for receiving these funds.
POLICY
Any clinic offering abortion services is under constant scrutiny. Founder’s Women’s Health Center is governed by the state of Ohio. The current governor, John Kasich, is openly Pro-Life. We were told that he signs any Pro-Life/Anti-Choice bill the gets put in front of him. FWHC does not know what kind of things he is signing unless they are given a heads-up from an insider so that they can create a counter argument. FWHC is also under the microscope of the Ohio Department of Health, which has a Right to Life director. They can shut down the clinic at any time, for any reason. Terrie mentioned two different policies that are currently important to FWHC.
The first is the Buffer Zone laws. House Bill 408 is to enact sections 2307.48, 2307.481, 2307.482, and 2919.20 of the Revised Code to criminalize impeding access to reproductive health care and to create a cause of action for harassment or intimidation of one or more employees of a health care facility. For FWHC and other clinics, this would mean that the picketers have to remain 15 feet from the front door of the center. Unfortunately, that would be in the middle of Broad Street at FWHC’s location so the picketers can continue to rally on the public sidewalk out front or follow the women to their cars if they park somewhere off of FWHC’s property. When taking to Terrie and Colleen, this discussion prompted shocking news of anti-choice groups that have developed the technology to target women during their clinic visits by placing unwanted pro-life propaganda directly on the women’s smartphones while they are in the clinic’s waiting room.
Though research we have discovered that Since 1977, there have been 80,000 reported acts of violence and/or disruption at abortion clinics in the United States and Canada, which include seven murders, seventeen attempted murders, forty one bombings, one hundred and sixty six arsons, one hundred and twenty five assaults, and six hundred and fifty for anthrax threats. Between 55% and 86% of providers report that they have been harassed this is despite the federal Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances Act. The federal Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances Act states as follows : 1) by force or threat of force or by physical obstruction, intentionally injures, intimidates or interferes with or attempts to injure, intimidate or interfere with any person because that person is or has been, or in order to intimidate such person or any other person or any class of persons from, obtaining or providing reproductive health services; 2) by force or threat of force or by physical obstruction, intentionally injures, intimidates or interferes with or attempts to injure, intimidate or interfere with any person lawfully exercising or seeking to exercise the First Amendment right of religious freedom at a place of religious worship; or 3)
intentionally damages or destroys the property of a facility, or attempts to do so, because such facility provides reproductive health services, or intentionally damages or destroys the property of a place of religious worship, shall be subject to the penalties provided in subsection (b) and the civil remedies provided in subsection (c), except that a parent or legal guardian of a minor shall not be subject to any penalties or civil remedies under this section for such activities insofar as they are directed exclusively at that minor. The penalties are as follows: Whoever violates this section shall 1) in the case of a first offense, be fined in accordance with this title, or imprisoned not more than one year, or both; and 2) in the case of a second or subsequent offense after a prior conviction under this section, be fined in accordance with this title, or imprisoned not more than 3 years, or both; except that for an offense involving exclusively a nonviolent physical obstruction, the fine shall be not more than $10,000 and the length of imprisonment shall be not more than six months, or both, for the first offense; and the fine shall, notwithstanding section 3571, be not more than $25,000 and the length of imprisonment shall be not more than 18 months, or both, for a subsequent offense; and except that if bodily injury results, the length of imprisonment shall be not more than 10 years, and if death results, it shall be for any term of years or for life.
https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/18/248
Secondly, in Ohio, any Ambulatory Surgical Service Center has to have a transfer agreement with a hospital. This is Ohio revised code 3727.60 which is Prohibitions for public hospitals regarding nontherapeutic abortions. (1) “Ambulatory surgical facility” has the same meaning as in section 3702.30 of the Revised Code. (2) “Nontherapeutic abortion” has the same meaning as in section 9.04 of the Revised Code. (3) “Political subdivision” means anybody corporate and politic that is responsible for governmental activities in a geographic area smaller than the state. (4) “Public hospital” means a hospital registered with the department of health under section 3701.07 of the Revised Code that is owned, leased, or controlled by this state or any agency, institution, instrumentality, or political subdivision of this state. “Public hospital” includes any state university hospital, state medical college hospital, joint hospital, or public hospital agency. (5) “Written transfer agreement” means an agreement described in section 3702.303 of the Revised Code. This means that No public hospital shall do either of the following: (1) Enter into a written transfer agreement with an ambulatory surgical facility in which nontherapeutic abortions are performed or induced; (2) Authorize a physician who has been granted staff membership or professional privileges at the public hospital to use that membership or those privileges as a substitution for, or alternative to, a written transfer agreement for purposes of a variance application described in section 3702.304 of the Revised Code that is submitted to the director of health by an ambulatory surgical facility in which nontherapeutic abortions are performed or induced.
For thirty years, Founder’s Women’s Health Center had a transfer agreement with Grant Hospital, which is now a part of Ohio Health. FWHC was recently turned down when trying to renew their transfer agreement. If an emergency arises, patients will be taken to the nearest hospital regardless of any transfer agreement, but it is still a legal requirement for the clinic. Capital Care network of Toledo Ohio is currently in the Supreme Court over their transfer agreement, as the state of Ohio filed an appeal against them. If Capital Care Network loses their case, the closet hospital that they could get an agreement with would be the University of Michigan.
EVALUATION
(https://rewire.news/article/2016/07/14/mike-pence-pro-life-governor)
With the Presidential Election currently taking place, many individuals seeking pro-choice services are in fear for their reproductive freedom, brought about by the republican candidate Donald Trump and his running mate, Mike Pence. Before we discuss the republican platform we will highlight on some of Democratic candidate Hilary Clinton and her running mate Time Kaine opinions and quotes as they both party nominees have much to say.
Hilary Clinton
• It’s big government to intervene on woman’s right to choose. (Oct 2015)
• Make abortion rare by supporting adoption & foster care. (Apr 2008)
• Potential for life begins at conception, but don’t intrude. (Apr 2008)
• Opposed China’s forced abortion & Romania’s forced pregnancy. (Apr 2008)
• Long-held moderate stance focuses on reducing abortions. (Mar 2008)
• Consistently uses Dem. Party line, “safe, legal, and rare”. (Mar 2008)
• 1974: pro-choice fervency not based on any personal abortion. (Jul 2007)
• 1999: keep abortion safe, legal & rare into next century. (Jul 2007)
• Lift ban on stem cell research to cure devastating diseases. (Jun 2007)
• 1993:Early action on abortion rights ended Right’s dominance. (Jun 2007)
• Personally would never abort; but deeply values choice. (Jun 2007)
• Abortion is a sad, tragic choice to many women. (May 2007)
• Respect Roe v. Wade, but make adoptions easier too. (Nov 2006)
• Partial birth exceptions for life-threatening abnormalities. (Apr 2006)
• Government should have no role in abortion decision. (Oct 2005)
• We can find common ground on abortion issue. (Sep 2005)
• Alternatives to pro-choice like forced pregnancy in Romania. (Nov 2003)
• Must safeguard constitutional rights, including choice. (Oct 2000)
• Late term abortion only if life or health are at risk. (Oct 2000)
• Remain vigilant on a woman’s right to chose. (Jan 2000)
• Keep abortion safe, legal and rare. (Jan 1999)
• Being pro-choice is not being pro-abortion. (Jan 1999)
• Reach out to teens to reduce teen sex problems. (Jan 1999)
Tim Kaine
• Personally opposes abortion, but keep government out of it. (Jun 2016)
• Don’t weaken or subvert the basic holding of Roe v. Wade. (Oct 2012)
• Don’t deny privacy to women making health care decisions. (Sep 2012)
• Increased access to contraceptive coverage. (Feb 2012)
• If life begins at conception, we must outlaw contraception. (Dec 2011)
• Restricted funding for fetal & embryonic stem cell research. (Apr 2009)
• Personally opposed to abortion, but it shouldn’t be outlawed. (Jul 2008)
• Parental consent; ban partial birth; informed consent. (Jul 2008)
• Promote abstinence; ban partial-birth abortion. (Nov 2005)
• I have a faith-based opposition to abortion. (Nov 2005)
• Supports public abortion funding. (Oct 2012)
Donald Trump
• Millions are helped by Planned Parenthood, but defund it. (Feb 2016)
• Planned Parenthood does great work on women’s health. (Feb 2016)
• Defund Planned Parenthood. (Oct 2015)
• Planned Parenthood is important, but abortions must stop. (Aug 2015)
• I have evolved on abortion issue, like Reagan evolved. (Aug 2015)
• Ban late abortions; exceptions for rape, incest or health. (Jun 2015)
• Undecided on embryonic stem cell research. (Apr 2011)
• I am now pro-life; after years of being pro-choice. (Apr 2011)
• I changed my views to pro-life based on personal stories. (Apr 2011)
• I am pro-life; fight ObamaCare abortion funding. (Feb 2011)
• Pro-choice, but ban partial birth abortion. (Jul 2000)
• Favors abortion rights but respects opposition. (Dec 1999)
Mike Pence
• Need Supreme Court justices who uphold Constitution. (Jul 2016)
• Periods for Pence: protest against interring aborted fetuses. (Apr 2016)
• Defund Planned Parenthood for providing abortion. (Sep 2012)
• Commit to unalienable right to life, including the unborn. (Feb 2008)
• Voted YES on banning federal health coverage that includes abortion. (May 2011)
• Voted NO on expanding research to more embryonic stem cell lines. (Jan 2007)
• Voted NO on allowing human embryonic stem cell research. (May 2005)
• Voted YES on restricting interstate transport of minors to get abortions. (Apr 2005)
• Voted YES on making it a crime to harm a fetus during another crime. (Feb 2004)
• Voted YES on banning partial-birth abortion except to save mother’s life. (Oct 2003)
• Voted YES on forbidding human cloning for reproduction & medical research. (Feb 2003)
• Voted YES on funding for health providers who don’t provide abortion info. (Sep 2002)
• Voted YES on banning Family Planning funding in US aid abroad. (May 2001)
• Rated 0% by NARAL, indicating a pro-life voting record. (Dec 2003)
• Rated 100% by the NRLC, indicating a pro-life stance. (Dec 2006)
• Prohibit transporting minors across state lines for abortion. (Jan 2008)
• Bar funding for abortion under federal Obamacare plans. (Jul 2010)
• Ban abortions for sex selection or race selection. (Dec 2011)
• Prohibit federal funding for abortion. (May 2011)
• Prohibiting forced abortions by UN Population Fund. (May 2011)
• Sponsored bill to prohibit fed funding of Planned Parenthood. (Jan 2011)
• Grant the pre-born equal protection under 14th Amendment. (Jan 2007)
• Declare preborn as persons under 14th amendment. (Feb 2009)
Due to Mike Pence’s extremely openness of his pro-life opinions and as mentioned as early the whole state of Indiana only has one clinic, we will focus on him because he is currently the Governor of the state. Research shows it has one of the slowest rates of economic growth in the nation, and one of the most shocking records on public health, infant and child survival, and poverty in the country. Pence presided over budget cuts to programs that support the health and well-being of pregnant women and infants. He has, for example, eagerly signed laws aimed at criminalizing abortion, forcing women to undergo unnecessary ultrasounds, banning coverage for abortion care in private insurance plans, and forcing doctors performing abortions to seek admitting privileges at hospitals (a requirement the Supreme Court recently struck down as medically unnecessary in the Whole Woman’s Health v. Hellerstedt case). These facts are no surprise given that, as a U.S. Congressman, Pence “waged war” on Planned Parenthood. In 2000, he stated that Congress should oppose any effort to recognize homosexuals and advocated that funding for HIV prevention should be directed toward conversion therapy programs.
As mentioned in the beginning of the paper, we were initially going to do two interviews, one at Founder’s Women’s Health Center and one at Planned Parenthood of Greater Ohio. As stated, many clinics are very hesitant to participate in interviews. We learned that some anti-choice activists pose as college students in order to get inside the facilities. Sadly, after having an interview set up Planned Parenthood, the women we had been in contact with quit responding. Some of the information we gathered from their website is as follows in the next paragraph. We wanted to touch on Planned Parenthood because of their government funding. Many clinics are forced to shut their doors as funding is being lessened and taken away.
Planned Parenthood (PPH) of greater Ohio headquarters is located in Columbus Ohio at 206 east State Street. They can be reached by phone at (614) 224-2235 or by their website www.plannedparenthood.org. They have 22 clinics in the state of Ohio. They were created in July 2012 following the successful consolidation of Planned Parenthood of northeast Ohio, Planned Parenthood of central Ohio, and Planned Parenthood affiliates of Ohio. They share similar goals and missions as Founder’s Women’s Health Center. PPH’s mission is to protect, promote and provide empowered health care for generations of women, men and families across Ohio. Their goal is to create a world where sexual and reproductive rights are basic human rights, where access to health care does not depend upon who you are and where everyone has the opportunity to choose their own path to a healthy and meaningful life. PPH provides all of the same services that FWHC offers.
This interview briefly shows the impact that policies, such as the Hyde amendment, can have on a women’s reproductive freedom. As aspiring social workers, we are all aware that Medicaid is the federal health care program for low-income individuals living in the United States, and we have learned that when abortion first became legal in 1973, all women had the ability to obtain an abortion. The Medicaid program, at that time covered abortion just as it did other medical procedures. Unfortunately, this did not last long because in 1976, Congress passed the Hyde Amendment, which banned Medicaid coverage of abortion. This is the only medical procedure that has ever been banned from Medicaid. There are currently fifteen states that use their own money to pay for abortion care as part of their Medicaid programs, but there are thirty-five that do not. There are several other laws that now prevent federal health care programs from covering abortion for federal employees, women in the military and Peace Corps, disabled women, Native women using Indian Health Services, and federal prisoners. Plus, thousands of other federal- and state-level barriers to abortion have popped up in the last 30 years. http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/507404_3 Barriers to abortion include legal point of viability; cost and coverage; the availability of mifepristone, an oral abortifacient; provider availability; harassment of patients and providers; laws designed to limit the provision of abortion services; and a culture of pseudoscience which promotes the dissemination of misinformation regarding human reproduction through a wasteful diversion of the public’s tax revenues. In the month of January 2005 alone, 15 states introduced 19 bills that would require counseling and waiting periods for abortion; and 12 states introduced 17 bills that would mandate parental involvement in minors’ abortions. Twenty-three states already have mandated waiting periods for women wishing to obtain an abortion,[30] augmenting patients’ exposure to anti-choice harassment and increasing the gestational age at which pregnancy termination occurs, thereby also enhancing the risk associated with the procedure.[31,32]
Targeted Regulation of Abortion Provider (TRAP) Laws are designed to add excessive regulations and extra costs to abortion clinics.[40,41] TRAP regulations far exceed the usual recommendations and requirements of respected scientific organizations. Increased retrofitting, design, and training costs, combined with increased licensing fees and burdensome documentation requirements, have put some clinics out of business and forced others to close temporarily or reduce services. Zoning ordinances have also been passed to force clinics to move. Some facilities shut down and do not reopen. The overall effects of TRAP laws and unfair zoning ordinances are to decrease access and increase costs of abortion.[42] As of 2004, 19 states and Puerto Rico enforce TRAP laws that apply to abortions performed at any stage of pregnancy, and 14 states enforce TRAP laws that apply only to abortions performed after the first trimester.
Forty-six states have enacted “refusal clauses,” which allow employers to refuse to provide contraceptive coverage in their health plans; pharmacists to refuse to dispense, or provide referrals for, oral contraceptive pills; and certain medical personnel, health facilities, and/or institutions to refuse to provide abortion services.
Conclusion
Policies, such as the ones discussed in this paper, have life altering effects on a woman’s life and reproductive health. They effect even the simplest things, such as being able to safely travel to a providing clinic. We hope that the buffer zone law can be amended so that the picketers cannot use the side walk in front of the facility. We hope that the transfer agreement passes in our favor, as many women could become victims of such medical delay if needing to travel unnecessarily far for care. Due to these hindrances, clinics like Founder’s Women’s Health Center may have to close their doors for good. With such an interesting election a head of us it is very important to learn both sides and make the vote count. When we walked into the clinic they had a ballot box to enough their cliental to vote. Out front with and political signs in the lawn we could tell the clinic favors Clinton. Terrie implied that if the republicans land the votes that things will trickle down fast and have dyer consequences on women’s health and FWCH. As with any thing that becomes illegal, people are going to continue to do it, whether safely or in an un-safe manner.
We are not anti-life; we are pro-choice, pro-health, pro-independence and pro-safety.