The Consequences of Abortion Restrictions for Women's Healthcare

23 Pages Posted: 20 Jul 2014 Last revised: 14 Oct 2014

See all articles by Maya Manian

Maya Manian

American University - Washington College of Law

Date Written: 2014

Abstract

This Essay challenges the false assumption that abortion care can be segregated from women’s medical care and targeted for special restrictions without any effects on women’s health more broadly. As a matter of medical reality, abortion cannot be isolated from the continuum of women’s healthcare. Yet policymakers and the public have failed to understand the interconnectedness of abortion with other aspects of women’s medical care. In fact, existing abortion restrictions harm women’s health even for women not actively seeking abortion care, but these impacts remain obscured. For example, antiabortion laws and policies have spillover effects on miscarriage management, prenatal care, and the treatment of ectopic pregnancies. Focusing the public’s attention on the broader effects of abortion restrictions on women’s health could help make visible the links between abortion and healthcare. Furthermore, educating the public about the full healthcare consequences of abortion restrictions could be one key means to preserving access to abortion care. Repositioning the law to recognize abortion care as an integral part of the continuum of women’s medical needs is critical to protecting women’s health.

Keywords: reproductive rights, abortion, women's healthcare, health law, abortion restrictions

Suggested Citation

Manian, Maya, The Consequences of Abortion Restrictions for Women's Healthcare (2014). 71 Washington and Lee Law Review 1317 (2014), Univ. of San Francisco Law Research Paper 2014-26, Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=2468173

Maya Manian (Contact Author)

American University - Washington College of Law ( email )

4300 Nebraska Avenue, NW
Washington, DC 20016
United States

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