From cervical cancer screenings to STD testing, many clinics that offer abortion are also the only accessible healthcare option in rural and low-income communities.
We got this message from our 1A text club:
For most of my life, Planned Parenthood was my only healthcare provider. I worked many low-wage jobs that did not offer insurance and Planned Parenthood was always available for my annual exams and birth control.
As more pregnant people will have no choice but to give birth, prenatal and pregnancy-related care will be even more vital.
Yet the U.S. already has the highest maternal mortality rate of any developed country. And according to the CDC, Black women are three and a half times more likely to die giving birth than their white counterparts.
National Institute for Reproductive Health President Andrea Miller said, “There’s no question that pregnancy-related deaths will rise.”Other experts agree.
So, how much worse could maternal mortality rates get in a post-Roe world? And what will access to reproductive care look like, especially in marginalized communities?
Copyright 2022 WAMU 88.5
