Abortion is a medical procedure that ends a pregnancy. It is important to differentiate between an illegal and a legal abortion. A legal induced abortion is defined by the CDC as a procedure performed by a licensed medical professional performed within the states regulation as means to terminate a pregnancy. On the other hand, an illegal, unsafe abortion is defined as a procedure as means to termine a pregnancy often performed by individuals who are not properly trained or in conditions that are not in minimal compliance with medical standards. In 1976, the Hyde Amendment was passed which states that federal Medicaid funds cannot be used to pay for an abortion unless the person’s life is at risk or the pregnancy is the result of rape or incest.
Abortions have been taking place in the United States from as early as the 1600s. Although reproductive care was widely unregulated around this time, midwives and other skills professionals performed these abortions. In the 19th century, physicians led a successful movement to criminalize abortion nationally. The abortion reform movement blossomed in the 1960s, and 11 states legalized abortion. In 1973, Roe v. Wade (recently overturned as of June 2022) established the legal, constitutional right to abortion nationwide.
Why do people get abortions?
There are a myriad of reasons why people seek (or need) to receive an abortion. While there are some that seek abortions due to medical reasons or health anomalies, there are others that seek abortions because the pregnancy was unintended. Other reasons for looking to get an abortion include being unable to financially support a child, disruption of work or school, absence of a partner, previous responsibilities, personal or fetus’s health, etc.
What role does healthcare insurance play in abortion?
Healthcare insurance covering abortion services, like many other healthcare options, are dependent on state legislation, as well as on other programs such as Medicaid, employer-sponsored insurance and other private insurance programs. Medicaid is a federal-state program that provides coverage for millions of people living under the poverty line, children, pregnant women, elderly adults, and those with disabilities. In 1976, the Hyde Amendment was introduced and in 2010 reinforced by President Obama which limited the use of federal funds for abortion services. Employers provide health insurance to employees in two ways.
- Fully-funded programs refer to those where the employer purchases a health insurance program on behalf of the employees and is in charge of paying a monthly premium to the insurer.
- Self-funded insurance plans are those where the employer assumes financial risk and functions as the insurer of employees.
Fully-funded programs are regulated by both federal and state governments whereas self-funded plans are only regulated by the federal government. Some states, like Oregon and New York, have mandated that health insurance plans cover abortion while other states, like Alabama and Arkansas, barely make exceptions for cases of life, rape and incest.
Hyde Amendment
The Hyde Amendment limits the use of federal funds for abortion. Shortly after the national legalization of abortion via Roe v. Wade, federal funds were originally available to cover abortion services for those depending on federally funded healthcare programs such as Medicaid. Medicaid is the largest federal-state funded program that provides healthcare to millions of vulnerable Americans, and 1 in 5 Americans receive care under Medicaid.
Arguments For and Against the Hyde Amendment
Perspectives on the Hyde Amendment tend to fall along pro-abortion or anti-abortion lines. Those that oppose abortion on principle tend to favor any policy which limits legal access to abortion. Those that believe abortion is a personal decision tend to oppose any policy which limits legal access.
Outside of the traditional pro- and anti-abortion debate, some additional arguments come into play specific to the Hyde Amendment. Some who believe abortion is a personal choice also believe that it is not a good use of taxpayer money, and do not want the federal government to fund abortions. In addition, Medicaid provides healthcare for 20% of women of reproductive age, including 30% of Black women and 24% of Hispanic women. For this reason, some oppose the Hyde Amendment because they believe it disproportionately impacts low income women and women of color, reinforcing socio economic inequities.
The right to abortion and abortion itself continues to be a controversial topic in the United States. Although no longer a constitutional right, many continue to speak on it and how recent decisions and past (such as the Hyde Amendment) will continue to affect those in need of an abortion.