Abortion clinic

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An abortion clinic is a medical facility that performs or specializes in abortions. Such clinics may be public medical centers or private medical practices. Planned Parenthood, whose clinics offer abortions as well as other reproductive care and counseling, is the largest operator of abortion clinics in the United States.

The first Dutch abortion clinic (the Mildredhuis in Arnhem) opened on February 27, 1971.

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[edit] History

Over several centuries and in different cultures, there is a rich history of women helping each other to abort. Until the late 1800s, women healers in Western Europe and the U.S. provided abortions and trained other women to do so, without legal prohibitions.

The State didn't prohibit abortion or any clinics until the 19th century, nor did the Church. In 1803, Britain first passed antiabortion laws, which then became stricter throughout the century. The U.S. followed as individual states began to outlaw abortion. By 1880, most abortions were illegal in the U.S., except those "necessary to save the life of the woman." But the tradition of women's right to early abortion was rooted in U.S. society by then; abortionists continued to practice openly with public support, and juries refused to convict them.

At the same time, male doctors were tightening their control over the medical profession. Doctors considered midwives, who attended births and performed abortions as part of their regular practice, a threat to their own economic and social power. The medical establishment actively took up the antiabortion cause in the second half of the 19th century as part of its effort to eliminate midwives.

Finally, with the declining birth rate among whites in the late 1800s, the U.S. government and the eugenics movement warned against the danger of "race suicide" and urged white, native-born women to reproduce. Budding industrial capitalism relied on women to be unpaid household workers, low-paid menial workers, reproducers, and socializers of the next generation of workers. Without legal abortion, women found it more difficult to resist the limitations of these roles. [1]


[edit] Attacks on abortion clinics

Main article: Abortion-related violence

Because of the controversial nature of abortion in many countries, including the United States, pro-life advocates often protest abortion clinics through picketing, or other means such as holding vigils, although some have resorted to terrorism tactics such as arson or bombings to prevent people from using these facilities. Over a fifteen year period there have been 167 attacks on abortion clinics of one form or another. The amount of anti-abortion related violence peaked in 2003.[3]

In the U.S., violence directed toward abortion providers has claimed the lives of 8 people, including 4 doctors, 2 clinic employees, a security guard, and a clinic escort. These are:

A fifth doctor, George Patterson, was shot in Mobile, Alabama on August 21, 1993, but it is uncertain whether his death was the direct result of his profession or rather a robbery.[2]

[edit] Other terms

Because of the controversial nature of abortion, a number of alternative terms for "abortion clinic" have arisen from both sides of the abortion debate. Those opposed to legal abortion sometimes pejoratively refer to abortion clinics as "abortuaries" (a portmanteau of "abortion" and "mortuary") or "abortion mills", while supporters of legal abortion and abortion clinics themselves often use the title "women's clinic". Here are a few stastistics as taken in recent studies:

  • It is estimated that one in five Medicaid-eligible women who want an abortion cannot obtain one.
  • In the U.S., 84% of all counties have no abortion services; of rural counties, 95% have no services.
  • Nine in ten abortion providers are located in metropolitan areas.
  • Only 17 states fund abortions.
  • Only 12% of OB/GYN residency programs train in first-trimester abortions; only 7% in second-trimester abortions.
  • Abortion is the most common OB/GYN surgical procedure; yet, almost half of graduating OB/GYN residents have never performed a first-trimester abortion.
  • Thirty-nine states have parental involvement laws requiring minors to notify and/or obtain the consent of their parents in order to obtain an abortion.
  • Twenty-one states require state-directed counseling before a woman may obtain an abortion.
  • Many states require women seeking abortions to receive scripted lectures on fetal development, prenatal care, and adoption.
  • Twelve states currently enforce mandatory waiting periods following state- directed counseling; this can result in long delays and higher costs.[3]

[edit] References

  1. ^ Boston Women's Health Book Collective (1998) [1] Our Bodies Ourselves For The New Century. Retrieved November 15, 2009.
  2. ^ Crow, Karen. (August 19, 2005). A Violent Week in August. Choice! Magazine. Retrieved January 25, 2007.
  3. ^ Boston Women's Health Book Collective (1998) [2] Our Bodies Ourselves For The New Century. Retrieved November 15, 2009.

[edit] External links


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