Across the country this past election, voters rejected restrictions on women’s medical decision-making. It’s time to turn our attention to one of the most profound obstacles to personal decisions and women’s health: Access.
As we see in Ireland recently with the extremely sad and upsetting case of Savita Halappanavar, not having access to abortion for some women can be the difference between becoming a mother later and losing both mom and child.
Due to the mixing of politics, religion and medicine, Halappanavar’s life was deemed less than that of her pregnancy.
However we feel about abortion, we respect that the decision should be left to a woman and her family. A woman’s decision should not be made for her by politicians, and it shouldn’t be made for her because she can’t afford it, either. When a woman needs to end her pregnancy, it is important that she has access to safe medical care. Providing insurance coverage ensures for abortion and ensuring that abortion is safe and legal will be the best way to ensure a woman like Halappanavar, who wants nothing more than to be a mother, will be able to see a quality, licensed health care provider.
