Women's Rights

Poverty, The Public Option & Abortion

by Jen Nedeau

categories: Government And Policy, Reproductive Health, Womens Health

Published September 12, 2009 @ 05:50AM PT

National Women's Law Center shares troubling news from the recent release of the 2008 Census about women, health care and poverty:

Census data released today for 2008 show that growing numbers of women lost private health care coverage, saw their incomes decline, and fell into poverty, according to an analysis by the National Women's Law Center (NWLC). The Census data released today are for 2008 and do not reflect the impact of the decline in real wages, dramatic increase in unemployment, and corresponding loss of employer-sponsored health insurance in 2009.

"The Census data show increasing numbers of women are joining the ranks of the uninsured - at great risk to their health and financial security," said Marcia D. Greenberger, NWLC Co-President. Compared to 2007, nearly half a million more women lacked coverage - bringing the total number of women without insurance in 2008 to nearly 17.6 million.

The data show that poverty and extreme poverty increased for women, children, and men. The number of women living in poverty increased by 800,000 since 2007 to a total of 15.2 million in 2008.

When times get tough, the tough need to get tougher. We cannot let women, particularly those in poverty, lose out on the public option nor access to a full suite of reproductive health medical procedures. Now is the time to stand up to the politicians and demand the public option - one that includes access to abortion.

Need some ammunition? Take a look at what Gloria Feldt wrote on the subject of health care and abortion for The Daily Beast - it should give you a few pointers:

This isn't about abortion at all. It's about derailing health-care reform by any means necessary. And if the health and lives of women are collateral damage, well, that's two for the price of one.

Despite claims that covering abortion causes or encourages it, facts show the opposite. Countries like France, Germany, and The Netherlands routinely cover abortion in their national health plans, and have some of the lowest abortion rates in the world... Contrary to those apocalyptic headlines, the Washington-based Mellman Group's national poll released in July confirms voters overwhelmingly (71% yes, 21% no) support requiring coverage of reproductive-health services for women...

Uncover the myth that abortion is outside mainstream medicine. It's one of the most common surgical procedures in America. Almost half of all women will have an unintended pregnancy during their lifetimes and one-third of women - 60% of them mothers of one or more children already - will have abortions, the Guttmacher institute reports...

Uncover the truth about those who don't just wish to prevent abortions but want to control women's bodies, period. If they were genuinely concerned about preventing abortions, they'd join the president's quest to find "common ground" on birth control and sex education-proven abortion antidotes.

Don't further marginalize those who are already hit hardest by the broken health care system and the crippled economy. Don't sink poor women into a deeper hole with more children at their feet without proper options about whether or not to have a child in the first place. Pass the public option with abortion access. It's the only real way to make this health care plan truly encompass all options, for the "public."