Abortion Access for People with Disabilities

This article by health correspondent Jamie Ducharme discusses the effect of abortion bans on people with disabilities. It features the personal stories of people with disabilities and of their families.

In the United States, 26% of adults have disabilities. People with disabilities have sex and relationships and strive to live meaningful lives. Abortion restrictions and bans threaten that. Pregnancy can be especially dangerous for people with underlying health conditions, and people with certain conditions may be unable to use birth control. For people with disabilities, abortion can be lifesaving.

Nevertheless, medical exemptions for abortions do not guarantee medical intervention. Healthcare providers may not perform abortions in the case of a life-threatening medical emergency for fear of criminal prosecution.

Abortion bans can also have other consequences. In the United States, 40% of female rape victims are people with disabilities. In the face of such violence, caretakers may seek sterilization out of fear. This further violates the bodily autonomy of people with disabilities.

Amid abortion bans, people with disabilities, their families, and advocates continue to fight for their sexual and reproductive rights, including the right to abortion.

Abortion bans represent a threat to bodily autonomy, 'a core principle of the disability rights movement,' as the American Association of People with Disabilities (AAPD) wrote in a statement after a draft of the Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe leaked last May. 'Policies that restrict access to abortion will drastically exacerbate threats to the autonomy, health, and overall well-being of disabled people.'

SOURCE: TIME Magazine • AUTHOR: Jamie Ducharme • LAST UPDATED: January 25, 2023