Abortion and Women’s Health: A Closer Look at “Back-Alley ” Abortions By Michell VandenBerg

Abortion continues to be one of the most hotly debated topics in the United States since its legalization in 1973. Abortion rights activists claim that millions of women may now terminate pregnancy in a safer manner than in the days of “back-alley ” abortions. This paper will examine the truth behind this claim. For instance, does legalized abortion really protect the health and safety of women? Is it safer than natural birth? Does it eliminate discrimination against poor women? This paper will argue that “back-alley ” abortions have been a largely fabricated reality. They cannot therefore be a compelling argument in favor of keeping abortion legal. It is widely acknowledged by both camps that “back-alley ” abortion would be a moot point if a fetus were proven to be a person. However, this argument is beyond the scope of this paper. We will lay it aside and look at the less frequently discussed facts. There is enough evidence against the idea of widespread unsafe abortions that it may not be necessary to use the argument of personhood. The major argument in favor of the legalization of abortion is the health and safety of women. The World Health Organization defines an unsafe abortion as “a procedure for terminating an unwanted pregnancy either by persons lacking in medical skills or in an environment lacking the minimal medical standards or both” (Abortion Access, 2003). The first claim is that legalized abortion keeps women with limited or no financial means from getting a “back-alley ” abortion. Planned Parenthood claims that anti-abortion laws drive women “to dangerous self-induced... abortions. That is all they can afford. The rich can travel... to obtain a safe abortion ” (2006). However, Feinberg and Feinberg show that “income seemed not to be a major factor. ” Women from a household where there was a family income of less than $11,000 had the same rate of abortion as those making $25,000 or more (1993, p. 47). Closely related is the claim that women from minority groups, who often come from lower economic levels, have to bear the brunt of illegal abortions. However, “Twice as many white women were responsible for abortions as nonwhites ” (Feinberg and Feinberg, p.47). These numbers show that financial status does not pose a significant deterrent to obtaining an abortion