By Sarah Terrell and Diana Fishbein, Photo: Drew Angerer/Getty Images, New York Daily News, September 24, 2022
The post-Roe v. Wade era will reveal two disparate Americas where there is a divide in access to reproductive rights across income brackets — those who can afford to make personal choices about family planning and those who cannot. For those who cannot, forced pregnancies will undoubtedly shape the financial, physical and emotional wellbeing of impoverished mothers, as well as the health and wellbeing of their children and grandchildren.
The median cost of an abortion is $568 in the first trimester, the time period where the vast majority of abortions take place. Given that one third of Americans are unable to afford a $400 unexpected expense, that price is steep for many low-income individuals. Now consider that, to access abortion care, some women now need to pay for transportation to travel out-of-state and possibly overnight accommodations or childcare for existing dependents. Some will need to take unpaid work leave.
These added financial hurdles will be insurmountable for many impoverished women. This predicament is especially concerning when you consider that 75% of women who use abortion services have incomes well below the federal poverty line.
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