Joelle Ho

Writing 39C
Dr. Broadbent
15 April 2018

HCP Problem Statement

Abortion has always been a controversial topic in the United States. Pro-Life activists
argue that an unborn baby is still considered a human being by the government and to terminate
a pregnancy would be considered murder. According to this belief, abortion practice should be
made illegal due to its unethical nature. Some Pro-Life arguments tie in religious beliefs that fall
along the lines of the acknowledging the sanctity of the unborn child’s life. Whereas Pro-Choice
activists believe that prior to the point of viability, a woman should have the choice to terminate
her own pregnancy without government involvement. They do not consider it “murder” because
prior to viability, the underdeveloped fetus is not able to survive outside of the womb. Both sides
have completely opposing viewpoints which is what makes this topic so controversial.
In 1973, an infamous court case took place in the United States. In ​Roe v. Wade​, the
Court reviewed a law in Texas that prohibited abortion from taking place in its state unless the
mother’s life was in danger. The state placed this restriction because of their Pro-Life
viewpoints–that a fetus is still considered a human being and that their life should be protected
by the government. Nevertheless, the Court’s final decision was that a woman’s right to abortion
fell under the right to privacy, protected by the Fourteenth Amendment.
However, in 1989, another case surrounding abortion was presented to the Court. In
Webster v. Reproductive Health Services​, the Court upheld a regulation in Missouri that required
women to get viability tests performed by physicians before getting an approved abortion. It also
prohibited the use of public facilities for the performance of an abortion. This decision sent a
message to other states that they could enact different laws to regulate abortion practice in their
states. States that sway towards the Pro-Life side have taken advantage of this by placing
restrictions on abortions to make it more difficult for women to have access to them. For
example, the Governor of North Dakota signed a law in March 2013 that bans abortions as early
as six weeks after a woman’s last menstrual period. Many other states have also placed bans on
abortions around 12 weeks, 20 weeks, and 24-28 weeks into a woman’s term. Additionally, some
states such as Alabama, Arizona, Idaho, etc., have enacted laws requiring minors to obtain
permission from their parents/legal guardians to have an abortion, while others require parents to
be informed of the abortion 48 hours before the procedure, or simply have no requirements at all.
Similarly, a new law in Arkansas requires a woman to obtain permission from the man who
impregnated her before having an abortion, including rape victims.
This causes many issues for women trying to terminate their pregnancies because they
have to take more steps than necessary that might deter them from undergoing the procedure.
Recently, the Trump administration tried to deny a 17 year old undocumented teen in Texas from
receiving an abortion. A federal appeals court sided with the girl and ordered the Trump
administration to allow the girl to have her abortion immediately. At 16 weeks pregnant, time
was of the essence since Texas prohibits abortions after 20 weeks. The girl, referred to as Jane
Doe, and her lawyers claim that the federal officials have been deliberately delaying the case by
Joelle Ho
Writing 39C
Dr. Broadbent
15 April 2018
requiring her to undergo counseling at a religiously affiliated pregnancy center, which urged her
to continue with her pregnancy.
These restrictions pose a huge problem to the women living in states where abortion laws
are extremely strict. For example, researchers conducted a study in Texas that resulted in an
estimate of 100,000-200,000 women who had attempted to self-induce an abortion. These
women felt as though they did not have adequate access to clinic-based care and decided to
perform the procedure themselves. Whether this be through ineffective herb remedies,
medications brought in from Mexico, or through violent actions such as blunt trauma to the
abdomen, these self-induced attempts pose a high health risks to the mother.
Joelle Ho
Writing 39C
Dr. Broadbent
15 April 2018
Works Cited
“Abortion Restrictions in States.” ​The New York Times​, The New York Times, 17 June
2013,
archive.nytimes.com/www.nytimes.com/interactive/2013/06/18/us/politics/abortion-r
estrictions.html?_r=1​.

This New York Times article uses charts to display the individual state
time restrictions on abortions. Forty-one out of the fifty states have laws
that do not allow women to have abortions before a certain time has
passed after initial fertilization. It also offers each state’s explanation as to
why they have set that time limit.

The information provided in the article is clear and concise and informs
the readers of the laws in each state by comparing and contrasting them,
along with the populations of each state. However since the article was
published in 2013, the laws of some states could have changed since then.

This article is relevant to the research presented in this paper because it

provides insight to how differently each state approaches the issue of
abortion. It also provides the explanations and reasoning behind the state’s
actions.

Fernandez, Manny. “U.S. Must Let Undocumented Teenager Get an Abortion, Appeals
Court Says.” ​The New York Times​, The New York Times, 24 Oct. 2017,
www.nytimes.com/2017/10/24/us/undocumented-immigrant-abortion.html​.

In this article, Fernandez thoroughly describes a recent court case

involving an undocumented minor who came to the U.S. seeking an
abortion. This case was encompassed by two of the most controversial
political issues in the United States–illegal immigration and abortion.

Fernandez provides a large amount of information surrounding the case by

explaining the laws in Texas regarding abortion and the steps taken on
both sides of the case.

The article is useful for this paper because it provides a real world
example about how the restrictions on abortions in certain states affect
women living in them. It also displays the severity of the issue in the
United States.
Joelle Ho
Writing 39C
Dr. Broadbent
15 April 2018
Mively, Donald E., and D. Scott. Broyles. ​Contemporary Supreme Court Cases. Landmark
Decisions since Roe v. Wade​. ABC-CLIO, 2016.

Roe v. Wade​ was an extremely significant case surrounding the topic of

abortion. It ultimately ended in the Court deciding that women have
protection under the Fourteenth Amendment, the right to privacy, to
legally obtain abortions. This book explores the entire case, giving
detailed information leading up to the Supreme Court’s decision.

Mively and Broyles dig deep into many landmark decisions made by the
Supreme Court and analyze their effect on the United States. They
document each case in very detailed and professional manner, which
contributes to the legitimacy of this book.

This book provides strong background information about the history of

abortion laws in the United States and the effect they have on the nation.
Roe v. Wade​ is one of the most infamous cases regarding abortion and
contributes a large amount of context to this paper.

Parenthood, Planned. “Parental Consent & Notification Laws | Teen Abortion Laws.”
Planned Parenthood​,
www.plannedparenthood.org/learn/teens/preventing-pregnancy-stds/parental-consent-
and-notification-laws​.

This article provides information about the laws in each state regarding
minors seeking abortions. Some states require parental consent, some
require the parent be informed of the abortion, where as other states do not
require parents to know about it.

Planned Parenthood wrote this article simply to inform girls about the
laws in their states in the event that they want to terminate a pregnancy as
a minor. It provides clear information about the laws and does not
introduce any sort of bias.

The information presented in the article is helpful when looking at all of

the types of abortion restrictions that some states place on women. The
laws regarding minors and abortion can be compared to the time
restrictions to determine how strict certain states are with their abortion
laws.
Joelle Ho
Writing 39C
Dr. Broadbent
15 April 2018
Vasquez, Daniela Noris, and Andrea Das Neves. “Unsafe Abortion: The Silent Endemic;
An Avoidable Cause of Maternal Mortality. A Review.” ​Current Women's Health
Reviews​, vol. 7, no. 2, 2011, pp. 151–163., doi:10.2174/157340411795445857.

Vasquez researches the prevalence of unsafe abortions in the world and its
detrimental effects on the women who attempt them. Women who face
restrictions on abortions go to extreme measures to terminate their
pregnancies such as inflicting trauma to their uterus, vagina and abdomen,
consume toxic fluids, or by taking dangerous medications.

Although this study refers to the whole world and not specifically the
United States, it provides insight to how dangerous restrictions on abortion
can be.

The article provides information as to the consequences of strict abortion

laws, which is relevant to this paper. Should the Trump Administration
inflict stricter laws, the women in the United States would have to resort to
extreme and dangerous measures to have an abortion.

Welch, Ashley. “Study: 100,000 Texas Women Have Tried to Self-Induce Abortion.” ​CBS
News​, CBS Interactive, 19 Nov. 2015,
www.cbsnews.com/news/100000-texas-women-have-tried-to-self-induce-abortion/.

Welch summarizes a study conducted by the Texas Policy Evaluation

Project at the University of Texas that led to a conclusion that an
estimated 100,000-200,000 women residing in Texas have attempted to
self-induce abortion due to extremely restrictive laws.

The article provides insight to how prevalent this issue is in the United
States. Having been written in 2015, the information is not outdated and
displays strong background info about the restrictive laws, in Texas
specifically.

The information presented in the article is pertinent to the issues discussed

in this paper and provides insight as to how prevalent and serious the issue
of restrictive abortion laws is to the United States at this time.