Women who want to have an abortion pay for it. Medicaid only covers the cost of the service in cases of rape, incest and dangerous pregnancies. This has been the system since 1976 which is why election time raises it as a matter of discourse for candidates, especially that abortion is one of the issues that people have long been divided about.
Associated Press reports a strong stance on abortion from the Democrats: repeal the ban on federal funding of abortion, or what is called the Hyde Amendment. It was announced in the Democratic National Convention last month, a statement that Democrat presidential nominee Hillary Clinton expressed her support of.
Of course, requesting federal funding for abortion would have people talking. Those in approval of the Hyde Amendment says it protects the rights of the taxpayers who are not in favor of abortion. Meanwhile, pro-abortion advocates say that the amendment makes abortion a service that only rich women can afford while the poor females who want to have an abortion cannot because of the money constraints.
Other democrats are not in support of the proposed repealing of the Hyde Amendment. This include Bob Casey from Pennsylvania, Joe Manchin from West Virginia and Clinton's running mate, Tim Kaine from Virginia. The whole Republican party is also siding with these few Democrats as none of them signed the proposed bill in the House to repeal the ban on federal funding of abortion.
Associated Press notes that a typical abortion costs $500 and is difficult to pay for most women who are interested to have an abortion. These women are mostly poor, coming from families with incomes below the federal poverty line.
Even with the Hyde Agreement in place, there had been nearly 53 million legal abortions done in the U.S. since 1973, the year abortion was legalized in the country. In 2014, 53 percent abortion patients paid for the procedure themselves.
This is because Medicaid doesn't cover abortion services unless the pregnancy is dangerous or was caused by rape or incest. Medicaid, however, was used to pay in states that allow federal funding of abortion (via Guttmacher Institute). These states are Alaska, California, Connecticut, Hawaii, Maryland, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Montana, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Oregon, Vermont, Washington and West Virginia (via Associated Press).
As per ActionLife.Org, in a 2004 survey of 1,208 American women at 11 abortion clinics, the primary reason why they want an abortion is because of social or other factors. The most common of these so-called other factors is bad timing. The woman is simply not ready to be a mother yet. Interestingly, the research also discovered that most women who resort to abortion regard it as the easy choice.
Do you think that abortion should be funded by the government? What are the rights these would give way to and what are those it would step on if it would push through? Comment below your thoughts and follow Parent Herald for more news and updates.
