Abortion access – or the lack of it – have long-term consequences on the health and socioeconomic standing of women, the authors write. Photo by Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images
In the final weeks before the election, the national spotlight has been shining on reproductive rights, and specifically on abortion. On Nov. 5, Marylanders have an opportunity to vote for Question 1 – the Right to Reproductive Freedom Amendment – and to enshrine those rights in the Maryland Constitution, ensuring that Marylanders secure the strongest possible protection for the health and welfare of its population.
We have grown used to hearing the issue framed as “choice,” a by-product of the discomfort of referring to a medical service by its name. And while “choice” is a significant factor in the debate, abortion access is about much more. Whether one can have an abortion, or whether that care is denied, has life-changing implications greater than many realize.
The health and socioeconomic consequences for women who have been denied access to abortion care are dramatic in comparison to those who have had access to this medical service.
After abortion was legalized across the country with Roe v Wade in 1973, access to abortion and other reproductive health care services led to increases in educational achievement, labor force participation, and economic opportunity for women. But when barriers to access – abortion bans, waiting periods, gestational limits, unnecessary diagnostic testing and more – are imposed, they often result in serious consequences in the lives of those who have been unable to receive proper medical care.
Longitudinal studies that compare outcomes for women who received a wanted abortion to outcomes for women who have been denied a wanted abortion, have looked at health outcomes, economic and educational achievement, child development and more. What has emerged is a startling disparity in the outcomes between these two groups.
The Turnaway Study, conducted over 10 years by researchers at the University of California, San Francisco, shows that pregnant individuals who were denied a wanted abortion were more likely to experience serious health complications including eclampsia and death, and longer term, more likely to experience poor physical health, such as chronic pain and gestational hypertension. Their mental health was also affected, as they were more likely to suffer depression, short-term anxiety, loss of self-esteem and suicidal ideation, oftentimes being less likely to have aspirational plans for the future.
Another recent study found states with abortion restrictions have seen a 3.5% increase in intimate partner violence. Being pregnant increases the risk of becoming a murder victim by 35%. Yes, pregnant and postpartum women are more likely to die from homicide than from all obstetric complications combined.
The right to access abortion also affects the wellbeing of children. Parents who are denied an abortion are nearly four times more likely to live below the poverty line, three times more likely to be unemployed and significantly more likely to need public safety net assistance. New studies of federal and state data by Harvard Medical School researchers have documented that states with abortion restrictions have seen an 11% increase in foster care placement.
Clearly, our state’s current policy protecting access to abortion has a positive impact on Marylanders. If affirmed by Maryland voters, Question 1 will recognize the constitutional right to reproductive autonomy. This will ensure Maryland does not impose unnecessary restrictions on abortion access that would have far-reaching negative consequences for women’s equality, public health and safety, and family economic security.