Access to Abortion
The primary goal of those who oppose abortion is to overturn Roe v. Wade. However, without control of the Supreme Court and unable to muster support for a constitutional ban on abortion, anti-choice forces have resorted to an incremental strategy. Instead of a broad assault on the right to choose, they come at Roe from the fringes, enacting an ever-increasing number of state restrictions on a woman's right to choose and blocking access to abortion wherever and however they can. Waiting periods, informed consent requirements, bans on public funding, insurance prohibitions, unnecessary clinic regulations — these laws are not designed to protect women. Instead, they are designed to deter women from choosing abortion and to make it more difficult and burdensome to obtain for those that do. Women in Ohio face numerous barriers when exercising their right to an abortion, including: • 91% of Ohio counties have no abortion providers • Between 1992 and 1996, the number of abortion providers fell from 45 to only 37—an 18% decline • A counseling ban • An “Informed Consent” 24 hour waiting period • Health insurance for state employees do not cover abortion except in medical emergencies or in the cases of rape and/or incest • Minors must receive parental consent before obtaining an abortion • Only physicians are permitted to perform abortions • Women eligible for medical assistance may not obtain public funds except in medical emergency or in the cases of rape and/or incest
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