Roughly half of black women live in abortion-restrictive states
Study shows poor women are also deeply affected
A new report indicates that more than half of black women live in states with restrictive abortion laws.
About 6.7 million Black women – 57 percent of all Black women ages 15-49– live in 26 states that have banned or are likely to ban abortion, according to a study conducted by the National Partnership for Women & Families and In Our Own Voice: National Black Women’s Reproductive Justice Agenda.
Most people in the reproductive justice movement were unsurprised by the extent to which black women are affected by a lack of access to abortion or reproductive care.
“My reaction was that a statistical number was put to something that I already knew,” said Grabiela Hernandez, who works for SisterLove, an organization dedicated to advancing reproductive rights for women of color.
The report also indicated that nearly 2.7 million Black women living in these states are economically insecure.
It’s not just in conservative states where poor women are affected. The Hyde Amendment, which bans Medicaid from paying for abortions, limits access even in states where the procedure or medication is legal.
“That limits women living in poverty, who are economically insecure, right,” Hernandez said. “And then it limits them from being able to access abortion. And with that in mind, that also puts them further into poverty.”
For women who live in these states, the journey to get the care they need can be costly because they must drive far distances, often by paying for expensive rides. They must find lodging because even in states where it’s legal, there are waiting requirements before getting medication or surgical procedures.
“Poverty plays a part in reproductive health care access,” Hernandez said. “I think that leaders now have more access to be able to talk about these things and also connect them as well.”