The Reproductive Health Technologies Project. “Two Sides of the Same Coin: Integrating Economic and Reproductive Justice.” The Reproductive Health Technologies Project, August 2015.
Annotation
Based on recent, cutting-edge research on the effects of abortion funding restrictions on the lives of low-income women, this report is an essential source for understanding the economic consequences of the Hyde Amendment. It provides an in-depth report on the links between reproductive health, including abortion funding, and economic security. The report incorporates data from the Turnaway Study, which, among other things, examines the effects of unintended pregnancy, in order to demonstrate the long-term financial consequences of abortion funding restrictions on individuals. The Turnaway Study found that over a span of two years, women who are denied an abortion are three times more likely to be in poverty than those who receive an abortion. The report explains that the main reason pregnant people are forced to continue an unintended pregnancy is the high cost of the abortion procedure and associated travel costs. The report discusses access to abortion to end an unwanted pregnancy as a strategy to help keep people out of poverty. Additionally, the article describes several other documented health benefits of abortion access, including lower rates of intimate partner violence and lower substance abuse rates. The report cites poll data to demonstrate that the public understands the connection between abortion access and economic security, and supports policy solutions that advance this issue.