Time of Trenton
January 22, 2010
Xan Blake

Thirty seven years ago today, the U.S. Supreme Court handed down its Roe vs. Wade decision, which legalized abortion in the United States. This historic anniversary inspires us to reflect on the advances American women have made since being able to fully control their own fertility, as well as on the many strides still necessary for women around the globe to have an equal place at life's table.

In recent months, many have highlighted the connection between access to reproductive health and its benefits for women, children and society. On Jan. 9, during a major speech commemorating the 15th anniversary of the International Conference on Population and Development, Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton stated that reproductive health care "is essential to the prosperity and opportunity of all, to the stability of families and communities, and the sustainability and development of nations." Secretary Clinton drew upon recent research by the Guttmacher Institute and United Nations Population Fund that underscores the benefits of full access to reproductive health care.

More than 215 million women worldwide are unable to access modern forms of contraception, and this contributes to the nearly 20 million unsafe abortions that take place globally each year. According to the World Health Organization, the majority of unsafe abortions occur in countries where abortion is inaccessible, heavily restricted or illegal. The consequences of unsafe abortion can be life-threatening and often fatal. Worldwide, an estimated 5 million women are hospitalized each year for treatment of abortion-related complications. Thirteen percent of maternal deaths worldwide can be attributed to unsafe abortion, and approximately 220,000 children worldwide lose their mothers every year from abortion-related deaths.

Data also bear out the following fact: Legal restrictions on abortion do not affect its incidence. In fact, countries with strong restrictions on abortion often have the same or even higher rates of abortion than those countries where abortion is safe and legal. For example: In Africa, where abortion is illegal in many circumstances in most countries, the abortion rate is 29 per 1,000 women aged 15""44. Contrast that statistic with Europe, where abortion is generally accessible with little restriction: The abortion rate is 28 per 1,000 women aged 15""44. The lowest rates in the world are in Western and Northern Europe, where abortion is accessible with few restrictions.

We don't have to look overseas to find proof that legal restrictions on abortion do not affect its incidence. We can simply examine our own history in the United States. In the years preceding Roe vs. Wade, women of means were able to pay skilled doctors or travel abroad to access abortion care, while poor women resorted to self-induced abortions or untrained laypeople, hence the notion of the back-alley abortion. In 1965, when abortion was still illegal nationwide except in cases of life endangerment, at least 193 women died from illegal abortions, and illegal abortion accounted for nearly 17 percent of all deaths due to pregnancy and childbirth in that year. Today, abortion is one of the safest medical procedures in the U.S. The risk of death is extremely low -- approximately 0.6 deaths per 100,000 procedures performed -- and the risk of complication is less than 1 percent.

Despite the benefits afforded to women, families and society when individuals are able to access the full range of reproductive health care, there are still those who wish to restrict these rights. In recent months, pro-choice Americans have been particularly dismayed to witness the politicization of the health-care debate, especially related to abortion rights. In November, Reps. Bart Stupak, D-Mich., and Joe Pitts, R-Pa., introduced a last-minute amendment to the health-care reform legislation in the House that would essentially have banned abortion coverage in the public plan option the legislation contained. This amendment was particularly deplorable because the majority of women with private insurance currently have abortion care coverage. In other words, millions of women would have lost private coverage for abortion services and millions more would have been prohibited from buying it even with their own money. An equally egregious amendment was introduced in the Senate's version of health-care reform by Sen. Ben Nelson, D-Neb., which would create an enormously cumbersome and unworkable process that could result in abortion not being offered in the health plans.

Besides the health and societal benefits Roe has afforded American women over the past 37 years, it is also about the right to privacy, self-determination and bodily integrity. It is about trusting women to make decisions about their lives and their future. Let us never forget these principles as we advocate for the full range of reproductive health-care options, at home and abroad.

Xan Blake is president and CEO of Planned Parenthood Association of the Mercer Area.