By Julianne McShane
State abortion bans passed in the wake of the Supreme Court's decision to overturn Roe v.
Wade could affect more than half of America's disabled and veteran women, according to an analysis by the National Partnership for Women and Families.
The study released Friday by this nonprofit, nonpartisan activist group concludes that banning abortion in the 26 states that are certain or likely to ban it could affect up to 2.8 million women with disabilities (the 53 % of all such women in the US) and 389,600 female veterans of reproductive age (also 53% of the US total).
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The results shed light on subgroups of American women who faced barriers to abortion access prior to the court's decision in Roe v.
Wade on June 24, called Dobbs v.
Jackson Women's Health Organization, according to co-author Shaina Goodman, director of reproductive health and rights at the National Partnership for Women and Families.
“When we think about who is least likely to have access to broader social support - things like access to high-quality health care or transportation, or some of the other services that are not only necessary to access abortion care, but are necessary to mitigate the harm caused by lack of access to abortion care - it is also women with disabilities and women veterans who are affected,” Goodman recalled.
Goodman and co-author Katherine Gallagher Robbins, a senior fellow at the organization, analyzed five years of data, from 2016 to 2020, from the US Census Bureau's American Community Survey.
The findings are based on data from women ages 15 to 49 in all 26 states, noting that not all women of reproductive age can get pregnant.
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The results do not include transgender men or non-binary people in those states who could become pregnant, as the American Community Survey does not collect data on gender identity, according to the analysis.
Research suggests that there are around 1.3 million transgender people and 1.2 million non-binary people living in the US.
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The analysis also did not examine intersections between women veterans and women with disabilities, or those categories, and women of color and low-income women who will also be disproportionately affected by state abortion bans, the study said.
About 58% of Native American women, 57% of black women and 53% of low-income women live in states that have banned or may ban abortion, according to the analysis.
Larkin Taylor-Parker, legal director of the Autistic Self-Advocacy Network, a disability rights nonprofit focused on the autism community, said the report highlights the struggles people with disabilities face in accessing care. reproductive health.
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Taylor-Parker noted that research has shown that transgender and non-binary people have higher rates of autism than cisgender people, meaning Dobbs' decision could affect a significant number of people with disabilities who don't identify as female. .
Taylor-Parker noted the role that institutionalization and eugenics have historically played in denying bodily autonomy to Americans with disabilities, and characterized Dobbs as the last barrier.
Activists for the right to abortion protest during a demonstration in Washington, on Saturday, July 9, 2022.Jose Luis Magana / AP
“Our community has fought for generations for bodily autonomy.
It's something that marginalized people in general, and the disability community in particular, have had a hard time achieving in America,” said Taylor-Parker.
"People with disabilities continue to fight for control over things like sexual and reproductive choices, and this is a clear step backwards in terms of control over our own bodies for a significant percentage of our population," he added.
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Adults with disabilities are nearly twice as likely as people without disabilities to report unmet health needs due to barriers to care and are twice as likely to live in poverty, which could make traveling to other states for abortions difficult or impossible, Taylor-Parker said, citing a report produced last fall by the National Association for Women and Families and the Autistic Self-Advocacy Network.
Texas, which bans abortion, has the largest number of women of reproductive age with disabilities of any state, with 448,400, followed by Florida, which bans abortion at 15 weeks and has 301,500 women of reproductive age with disabilities, according to the National Partnership for Women and Families.
Other logistical barriers can pose a challenge to accessing abortion for people with disabilities.
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“If the building and the medical equipment are not accessible, that's going to be a major barrier” for people with disabilities, Taylor-Parker said.
Poor or inaccessible sex education for people with disabilities "can mean that people are not aware of their options and are not taught their rights, which can lead to situations where people find themselves pregnant and don't know what to do." Taylor-Parker recalled.
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Analysis by the National Partnership for Women and Families concluded that state abortion bans will pose a particular barrier to women veterans, especially the majority of those who access health care through the Department of Veterans Affairs, who does not offer abortion services or counseling.
Active duty service members, spouses, and dependents can still get abortions at military treatment centers in cases of rape, incest, or when the mother's life is in danger.
"Where are they supposed to go?" wondered Allison Jaslow, an Iraq War veteran and co-founder of Operation Liberty, an initiative created after Dobbs' decision to pressure the Department of Veterans Affairs to lift its ban. of abortion.
“Even for women who don't currently receive healthcare from the Department of Veterans Affairs, we'd like to think that in a country that says it supports our veterans and our troops, [the Department of Veterans Affairs] could be a resource. additional to fall back on, too, at a time like this,” he said.
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Veterans Affairs Secretary Denis McDonough has said the department could offer abortion services if the rules are changed, which would include a public comment period.
The Veterans Health Care Act of 1992 excluded abortion care from the department's medical benefits package, but the Veterans Health Care Reform Act of 1996 gave the VA secretary the power to determine the medical services that offers.
A VA spokesman said in a statement that officials "are evaluating the impact of Dobbs' decision while remaining in close contact with Veterans and their families" and that the "VA does not provide abortion services or travel assistance related to procedures." of abortion.”
Texas also has the largest number of female veterans of reproductive age of any state, with 85,800, followed by Florida, with 54,900, according to the National Partnership for Women and Families.