Abortion Bans in the United States
Have you heard that in the United States, those states with abortion bans have put women’s lives at risk? It’s common to hear that doctors in these states are prohibited from performing life-saving measures on pregnant women because it could be interpreted as abortion.
In fact, Vice President Kamala Harris issued a warning that “Some states have gone so far as to criminalize abortion care in medical emergencies where the inability to get an abortion puts the pregnant person’s health, life and future fertility in danger.”
That sounds scary, and you might be feeling nervous about various states’ bans or restrictions on abortion. Whether in your state or others in the country, the laws could affect you now or in the future. If you are currently facing a pregnancy decision, it’s important to be well-informed about the truth behind the rumors.
According to the New York Times, 13 states currently have a ban on abortion, 4 have a ban after 6 weeks gestation, 2 ban abortion after 12 weeks, and 1 state prohibits abortion after 18 weeks. (Data up-to-date as of the publication of this article.)
Do Abortion Bans Prevent Women from Accessing Life-Saving Care?
All states which have abortion bans or restrictions have in their law explicit language which provide exceptions for cases where the mother’s life is at risk.
For example, one state with an abortion restriction is Florida. In September 2024, the state of Florida issued a notice to providers clarifying exceptions to the current abortion restriction law and to counteract misinformation on the topic.
The notice reads, “exceptions that allow for an abortion at any point in pregnancy to save the pregnant woman’s life or avert a serious risk of substantial and irreversible physical impairment of a major bodily function. These exceptions allow treatment, including abortions, for women who experience premature rupture of membranes (PROM), ectopic, or molar pregnancies, and as such, physicians in Florida are expected to follow standards of care regarding the most appropriate course of action in these situations.”
The purpose of healthcare is to heal or preserve life. As the provisions within state abortion bans make clear, in some instances, doctors may not be able to save the pre-born child as they seek to provide necessary medical care to the mother. But lacking the technology to keep the baby alive is different than performing an abortion to end the pregnancy.
Most abortions are not performed to save the life of the mother. Rather, most abortions are performed because (for various reasons) the woman no longer wishes to continue her pregnancy.
Understanding Abortion Terms
Why is it confusing?
This could be because of the very language we’re using. If you go online and search, “What does abortion refer to in medical terms?”, Yale Medicine, American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG), Medlineplus.gov, and Harvard Health (just to name a few) all provide different definitions.
The term “abortion” can mean different things to different people. In medical terms, a miscarriage is categorized as a “spontaneous abortion.” That’s confusing! Just ask someone who’s lost a baby due to miscarriage how she feels about that definition.
In terms of restrictions on abortion in all states, the term ‘abortion’ refers to an elective abortion procedure. AAPLOG defines this as, “those drugs” (that means abortion pills) “or procedures” (that means surgical abortion) “used with the primary intent to end the life of the human being in the womb. Elective abortion is not treatment of a miscarriage or an ectopic pregnancy nor is it separating the mother and the baby at any gestational age to save a mother’s life.”
In simpler terms: abortion bans and restrictions apply to elective terminations of pregnancy. If a woman must be separated from her pregnancy to save her life, even states with an abortion ban create allowances for that.
What Do Abortion Bans Mean For Me?
If you are pregnant and considering abortion, restrictions in the United States will mean that you have a limited amount of time to consider abortion by means of abortion pills or surgical abortion. This depends on the state you live in and the laws in that state. However, for all laws within the United States, there is no point in a pregnancy where preserving the life of a mother’s unborn baby is placed above her own life.
Other exceptions to abortion bans include, “when there is risk to the health of the pregnant person, when the pregnancy is the result of rape or incest, and when there is a lethal fetal anomaly.” These exceptions vary among the states containing bans and restrictions, so it’s important to research the restrictions and exceptions in your own state.
If you live in Massachusetts and are considering abortion, gestational age is one of the most essential pieces of information that you need. This informs you how far along you are and what procedures you may or may not have access to. While you may estimate your gestational age based on your last menstrual period (LMP), this method used in isolation is often inaccurate. The best way to confirm gestational age is via ultrasound.
A pregnancy confirmation ultrasound can also determine if there is a viable intrauterine pregnancy, along with displaying how far along you are. At Clearway Clinic, we offer free pregnancy confirmation ultrasounds, as well as free pregnancy testing and STI testing.
However you feel about this pregnancy, at Clearway you will receive access to non-judgmental support, understanding, and professional care. While we do not provide, prescribe, or refer for abortions, we will provide essential information on all your options, provide you with referrals for local community resources, and offer you a safe space to process your decision.
Schedule your appointment today. We are here for you.
This information is for educational purposes only. It is not a substitute for medical advice. Please contact your doctor for more information.
