More than 50 percent of Black girls and women of reproductive age live in states with little or no access to abortion, according to a new report.
O analysis from the National Partnership for Women and Families and In Our Own Voice: National Reproductive Justice Agenda for Black Women found that nearly 7 million Black women ages 15 to 49 live in the 26 states that have banned or are likely to ban abortion.
The number of states that ban or limit abortion care has increased since the 2022 Supreme Court case that overturned Roe v. Wade. Wade, which guaranteed the right to abortion.
Fourteen states have banned the procedure, while others have instituted limitations on the procedure.
These limitations, the study authors state, “significantly impair millions of people across the country,” including “disrupting their economic futures.”
The study concluded that 2.7 million black women living in the 26 states are “economically insecure” and 1.4 million of them work in service sector jobs. These situations make it less likely that pregnant women will have access to resources such as paid sick leave, flexible schedules, and the financial ability to travel to states that allow abortion.
More than 58 percent of women in these states are also mothers, but an In Our Own Voice poll found that since the repeal of Roe v. Wade, 46 percent of black women in these states reported thinking about not having any more children. . Thirty-four percent reported concern about the possibility of being arrested in connection with a pregnancy, miscarriage, or abortion care.
Forty-three percent also reported thinking about the risk of maternal mortality for themselves or a partner.
Black women have some of the highest rates of maternal mortality, even though most maternal deaths are preventable.
The report states that abortion bans exacerbate the maternal mortality rate of minority women because hospitals have closed their maternity wards, creating widespread maternity care deserts.
In some cases, providers are abandoning states with abortion bans, increasing the shortage of health care providers. Those who stay may be forced to compromise care, including for women facing pregnancy complications or emergencies.
Of the 26 states that have banned or are likely to ban abortion, 17 also have above-average maternal mortality rates, the report found.
Eight percent of black women of reproductive age live in Georgia, which bans abortions for six weeks and has one of the highest maternal mortality rates in the country.
About 9 percent of black women of reproductive age live in Texas, where abortion is banned and where black women are three times more likely to die from pregnancy-related problems than any other minority group.
Eight percent of black women of reproductive age live in Florida, which bans almost all abortions after six weeks of pregnancy. Black women in Florida are two to three times more likely to die from pregnancy-related causes than white women.
Organizations are now urging lawmakers to use the Black Reproductive Justice Policy Agenda as a guide for creating policies “that strengthen access to and coverage of abortion, dignified and safe pregnancy and birth, equitable health care, and the social, economic, political and cultural supports needed for Black people and families to prosper. ”
This story originally appeared on thehill.com read the full story
