Restrictions on Low-Income Women's Access to Abortion
All women should have access to reproductive health care regardless of their economic status, but restrictions on funding make abortion services an unavailable choice for many women. Banning public funding inserts politicians into the doctor-patient relationship and puts women's health in danger by severely limiting reproductive health options for those who rely on the government for their health care. Wisconsin Law Wisconsin prohibits public funding for abortion for women eligible for state medical assistance for general health care unless: (1) the procedure is directly and medically necessary to preserve her life (2) the procedure is directly and medically necessary due to an existing medical condition to prevent grave, long-lasting physical health damage to the woman (3) the pregnancy is the result of sexual assault or incest To put that in perspective, there were 11,130 abortions provided in Wisconsin in 2000 (the last year statistics are available). Only 6 of them were covered by government health care (ie Medicaid, Badgercare). Early-term abortions typically cost $500-$600 in Wisconsin, and more if they are performed towards the mid-term of pregnancy or there are complications. |
