Recent political changes in the United States threaten the access of women there to safe and affordable abortion, particularly if the federal government succeeds in defunding Planned Parenthood. However the access of American women to abortion care has been gradually eroding even before the current administration. Dozens of laws across the country have made it more expensive, more time-consuming and more difficult for women to access abortion services. Laws in Texas that require abortion providers to have privileges at local hospitals have forced the closure of most of that state's abortion clinics. Other states require women to return to the clinic for multiple visits, to look at the ultrasound of the pregnancy, or for doctors to provide false, negative information about the long term risks of abortion.
When legal access is no longer possible, women are often desperate and turn to dangerous, self-induced abortions. Data from internet search-engines shows that more women are trying to find out how to do a home abortion, and those women overwhelmingly live in states with poor access to legal, safe abortion care.
Luckily in Canada abortion is fully legal, and there are no requirements such as forcing a women to come back for a second visit, forcing her to look at her ultrasound, or providing her with misleading or false information about the risks of abortion. Most abortion services in Canada are concentrated in the large towns and cities, making access difficult for women in rural communities. However at least they do not face unreasonable and unfair barriers created by layers of government that do not have women's best interests or health in mind.
To learn more about restricted access to abortion in the United States read the following article:
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