After multiple presentations on abortion, I became interested in learning more about abortion laws in Georgia. According to the Guttmacher Institute, there are several restrictions on abortion in Georgia that are in effect as of November 1, 2014. These restrictions include:
- A woman must receive state-directed counseling that includes information designed to discourage her from having an abortion and then wait 24 hours before the procedure is provided.
- Health plans that will be offered in the state’s health exchange under the Affordable Care Act can only cover abortion when the woman’s life is endangered or her health is severely compromised.
- Abortion is covered in insurance policies for public employees only in cases of life endangerment.
- The parent of a minor must be notified before an abortion is provided.
- Public funding is available for abortion only in cases of life endangerment, rape or incest.
These restrictions are severely muddled especially the phrase, “counseling that includes information to discourage her from having an abortion.” I am interested in the exact verbiage of this counseling and if the counseling takes into consideration the situation in which the woman became pregnant, e.g. rape. I am also interested why rape is not a reason for abortion under health plans offered by the Affordable Care Act.
Abortions in Georgia as well as in the United States, have been steadily declining since 1991. In 1991, there were 24 legal abortions per 1,000 women aged 15-24. In 2011, there were 16.8 legal abortions per 1,000 women aged 15-24. During this time, there were 28 abortion providers in Georgia, with 19 of those being clinics. Also, 96% of counties in Georgia had no abortion clinic and 58% of Georgia women lived in these counties.
For those of you from other states, I am interested in knowing more about the abortion laws in your states. Please chime in.
References
“State Facts About Abortion: Georgia.” Guttmacher Institute. Web. 13 Nov. 2014. <http://www.guttmacher.org/pubs/sfaa/georgia.html>.
I completely agree that these laws that restrict abortion in Georgia are absurdly unethical and unrighteous to women’s rights. The fact that a woman has to sit and listen to someone counsel her about how she shouldn’t get an abortion is utterly ridiculous; it’s her own decision and she doesn’t need someone lecturing her on why they don’t think she should get it.
I understand if private insurance companies or insurance policies for public employees don’t want to cover abortions, but the state should definitely have public funding available for women who cannot afford abortions. The fact that the state government won’t provide a cent of relief for women seeking abortions seems completely unethical.
In my home state of New York, I am happy to say abortion laws are much less restrictive. 18 year olds are not required to obtain permission from their partner and/or parents and there is no “cooling off” period or required counseling.
Source: http://statelaws.findlaw.com/new-york-law/new-york-abortion-laws.html
For those of you interested in abortion policy, I will email you the UN report on world abortion policies of 2013