Healthcare Prof:

5 (1 votes)

Unless a federal judge takes additional action, two antiabortion laws will take impact Sunday in Louisiana, according to groups on each sides of a lawsuit challenging the statutes, the New Orleans Times-Picayune reports. One with the laws (SB 528) will demand girls seeking abortions to receive ultrasound exams, while the other (HB 1453) will prevent doctors who carry out elective abortions from obtaining medical malpractice insurance (Anderson, New Orleans Times-Picayune, 8/11).

On Aug. 8, six abortion clinics filed a federal suit arguing that the ultrasound law is “unconstitutionally vague” since it does not clearly state whether the person performing the ultrasound must try to compel a woman to accept an envelope containing the ultrasound picture. In addition, the law could violate a patient’s confidentiality by exposing private patient information to a third party, the suit states. The suit contends that the law banning medical malpractice coverage for doctors who carry out abortions improperly treats abortion providers differently from other wellness professionals and denies them equal legal protection (Women’s Health Policy Report, 8/9).

The very first round of legal proceedings for the case is scheduled for Nov. 4, the Times-Picayune reports. Dorinda Bordlee — senior counsel for the Bioethics Defense Fund and a co-author of one of the bills — stated she expects the laws to take effect on Sunday.

Stephanie Toti, an lawyer for the Center for Reproductive Rights, stated it is possible that the abortion clinics could file additional litigation to block the laws or some of their provisions. For example, litigation could prevent the state from enforcing a provision requiring females to receive a copy of an ultrasound before an abortion (New Orleans Times-Picayune, 8/11).

Reprinted with kind permission from http://www.nationalpartnership.org. You are able to view the whole Everyday Women’s Wellness Policy Report, search the archives, or sign up for email delivery here. The Daily Women’s Wellness Policy Report can be a cost-free service with the National Partnership for Girls & Families.

? 2010 National Partnership for Girls & Families. All rights reserved.

Healthcare Prof:

The following summarizes selected women’s health related videos.

Puberty Beginning Earlier in Girls: NBC’s “Nightly News” recently examined a study that corroborating previous research showing that girls are showing signs of puberty onset earlier than in the past. The study found that girls as young as age seven are showing signs of breast development, a drop from an average age of 11 or 10 in previous decades (Ellis, “Nightly News,” NBC, 8/9). “Nightly News” also featured a discussion with Alanna Levine, a pediatrician and spokesperson for the American Academy of Pediatrics, who stated that parents should play a larger role in discussing puberty onset with young girls (Curry, “Nightly News,” NBC, 8/9).

GOP Harbors Antiabortion Extremism: MSNBC’s “The Rachel Maddow Show” this week discussed the “extreme” antiabortion views of several Republican candidates, which host Maddow stated had been “beyond the pale, even in fringe antiabortion politics, not very many years ago.” The candidates — Sharon Angle of Nevada, Rand Paul of Kentucky and Ken Buck of Colorado — have all said abortion should not be allowed even in cases of rape or incest. The show also featured a discussion with Melissa Harris-Lacewell, a Princeton University professor and columnist for The Nation, who said that Democrats “continue to type of cede this ground to conservatives” (Maddow, “The Rachel Maddow Show,” MSNBC, 8/5).

Reprinted with kind permission from http://www.nationalpartnership.org. You’ll be able to view the whole Day-to-day Women’s Health Policy Report, search the archives, or sign up for email delivery here. The Daily Women’s Health Policy Report can be a totally free service of the National Partnership for Women & Families.

? 2010 National Partnership for Females & Families. All rights reserved.

Healthcare Prof:

The following summarizes selected women’s health-related blog entries.

~ “Latinas and the High Cost of Birth Control,” Silvia Henriquez, Huffington Post blogs: “As it stands, health care reform does nothing to minimize or eliminate … costly copayments for birth control for working ladies,” Henriquez, the executive director with the National Latina Institute for Reproductive Wellness, writes. Over a span of 30 years, birth control can cost a lot more than $15,000 in copays and related fees, according to Henriquez. “[S]cant attention is paid to the financial, regulatory and social barriers that stop many Latinas from accessing the birth control they seek,” even when they have insurance, she writes. While some well being programs are available to pregnant Latinas, access to birth control for Latinas who are not pregnant is not secure. In a recent focus group, Latinas of Mexican origin in Texas said they “feel devalued by the fact that they qualify for wellness services when they are pregnant, but are largely ignored otherwise,” according to Henriquez. “When wellness care reform passed, we were told that all men and women deserved access to affordable insurance coverage and preventive care,” she writes, adding, “For millions of females, birth control, by definition, is prevention” (Henriquez, Huffington Post blogs, 8/10).

~ Trust Women PAC’s “Red State Round Up”: Trust Females PAC’s new blog, “Red State Round Up,” will “highlight political races, proposed legislation and advocates’ work at the state-level in order to underscore the plight of some of our most politically fragile areas,” according to the blog (“Red State Round-Up,” Trust Ladies PAC, 8/3). In one of the very first posts, Marshall Martinez — board president with the New Mexico Religious Coalition for Reproductive Choice — discusses antiabortion-rights activity in New Mexico. The antiabortion group Operation Rescue plans to open a satellite office there to target abortion provider Curtis Boyd, who will supply abortion care in the third trimester on a case-by-case basis (Martinez, “Red State Round Up,” Trust Women PAC, 8/10). In another post, Kathleen Wallace, an Oklahoma City lawyer, describes Oklahoma abortion-rights supporters’ response to several state laws restricting the procedure. “Women in Oklahoma were shocked when they found out about these laws,” she writes, adding that advocates formed the Oklahoma Coalition for Reproductive Justice to fight abortion restrictions (Wallace, “Red State Round Up,” Trust Females PAC, 8/6).

~ “My So-Called Sex Education,” Rita Martinez, RH Reality Check: The Latina Week of Action for Reproductive Justice “is the time to demonstrate to our government that Latinas care about the contraception debate,” the National Latina Institute for Reproductive Health’s Martinez writes. “Vocalizing the effects [of]lack of access to, or awareness of, various contraceptive methods is pivotal to the inclusion of family planning as a preventative service (read: Free of charge) below the Women’s Well being Amendment” in the federal wellness reform law. Although “many great services that are sure to benefit females are already included,” Martinez writes that “legislators are staying largely silent on the topic of contraception.” She continues, “Information and access to birth control is really a matter of upholding reproductive freedom for all Latinas,” and birth control “needs to be recognized as an indispensable women’s well being care service and accessible to girls over-the-counter” (Martinez, RH Reality Check, 8/12).

~ “For the New School Year: Medical and Nursing Students for Choice,” Our Bodies, Our Blog: “[E]nsuring that proper training in [abortion services] is available to future wellness care providers is one key aspect of making and keeping abortion available,” according to the blog, which “list[s] resources for [medical and nursing] students interested in organizing to promote and protect abortion training in their programs.” One group, Medical Students for Choice, “provides student organizing resources, including tips on curriculum reform and tools for student leaders,” among other “tools and support.” The group Nursing Students for Choice “is a relatively new organization that focuses on reproductive wellness and training for nursing students,” the blog says, adding that the group’s website “provides resources for getting involved and for starting campus chapters” (Our Bodies, Our Blog, 8/11).

Reprinted with kind permission from http://www.nationalpartnership.org. It is possible to view the entire Everyday Women’s Wellness Policy Report, search the archives, or sign up for e-mail delivery here. The Daily Women’s Well being Policy Report is really a free of charge service of the National Partnership for Women & Families.

? 2010 National Partnership for Females & Families. All rights reserved.

Healthcare Prof:

Federal judges recently stopped antiabortion-rights laws from taking impact in Indiana and Louisiana. Summaries seem below.

~ Indiana: Last week, federal Judge Robert Miller issued a preliminary injunction against an Allen County, Ind., health ordinance following he ruled that it could potentially endanger the privacy of ladies who obtain abortions, the AP/WTHR reports. The ordinance aims to regulate out-of-county wellness providers by requiring that they supply neighborhood and state wellness officials with data about patients. Following the bill passed in April, the American Civil Liberties Union of Indiana sued on behalf of Illinois resident George Klopfer, who operates an abortion clinic in Fort Wayne, Ind. Klopfer argued that the reporting requirement violated abortion patients’ 14th Amendment rights to privacy. In his ruling, Miller said that Klopfer’s argument was most likely to be held up in court. The ruling left other portions with the measure intact, which includes those requiring out-of-county physicians to supply hospitals with after-hours contact information (Wilson, AP/WTHR, 8/12).

~ Louisiana: On Wednesday, Chief U.S. District Judge Ralph Tyson issued a temporary restraining order to block enforcement of two Louisiana antiabortion laws that had been scheduled to take effect on Sunday, the Baton Rouge Advocate reports. The restraining order blocks enforcement with the laws pending the outcome of a court hearing scheduled for Aug. 24. The very first law (HB 4153) would prohibit abortion providers from participating in a state-run medical malpractice fund (Lodge, Baton Rouge Advocate, 8/13). The second law (S 528) would require women seeking abortions to undergo an ultrasound. The New York-based Center for Reproductive Rights last week filed a lawsuit against both laws (AP/New Orleans Times-Picayune, 8/12). Stephanie Toti, an lawyer representing the center, said, “The government can’t single out abortion providers along with the ladies who seek their services just because some politicians do not approve.” She added, “It’s completely unfair, and, a lot more importantly, it violates the U.S. Constitution” (Baton Rouge Advocate, 8/12). Tyson’s order also temporarily permits doctors to perform abortions without having giving patients specific printed supplies mandated under the new law. Toti argued that abortion providers were in danger of violating the law simply because the state has not but distributed the material (AP/New Orleans Times-Picayune, 8/12).

Reprinted with type permission from http://www.nationalpartnership.org. You are able to view the whole Daily Women’s Well being Policy Report, search the archives, or sign up for e-mail delivery here. The Daily Women’s Health Policy Report is actually a cost-free service of the National Partnership for Women & Families.

? 2010 National Partnership for Ladies & Families. All rights reserved.

Healthcare Prof:

Economic hardship may be leading more Irish females to seek abortions and acquire the process illegally simply because they can’t afford to travel to Britain, where abortion is legal, Reuters reports. Ireland, a mainly Catholic nation, permits abortion only when a woman’s life is in jeopardy. The policy is 1 of the strictest in Europe, and ladies who violate the law can face life in prison.

Since 1992, Ireland has allowed ladies to receive abortion information and travel abroad to acquire the process. Based on the Irish Family members Planning Association, between 1980 and 2009, at least 142,060 ladies obtaining abortion services in England and Wales provided Irish addresses, even though the actual total is likely higher due to the fact some ladies decline to provide addresses, or seek abortions within the Netherlands. An abortion costs about 350 pounds, or $551, inside the United Kingdom, not including travel costs.

Concrete statistics about women’s reasons for obtaining an abortion are difficult to acquire, but anecdotal evidence from employees in women’s well being clinics suggests that financial considerations are playing a role for more Irish females who seek the process. According to Reuters, Ireland has faced the longest recession “of any Euro zone country,” and despite an improvement in the nation’s finances during the first quarter of 2010, “sustained economic recovery is some way off.”

Ireland is defending its abortion policy at the European Court of Human Rights, where it has been challenged by three ladies who say it endangered their well being and violated their rights (Gumuchian, Reuters, 8/11).

Reprinted with kind permission from http://www.nationalpartnership.org. You can view the entire Day-to-day Women’s Well being Policy Report, search the archives, or sign up for email delivery here. The Daily Women’s Well being Policy Report is really a cost-free service with the National Partnership for Ladies & Families.

? 2010 National Partnership for Women & Families. All rights reserved.

Healthcare Prof:

In response to complaints from Students for Life of America, the University of North Carolina system will allow students to opt out of abortion coverage in school-sponsored wellness insurance plans, the Raleigh News & Observer reports. Students who opt out will not save any money due to the fact the abortion coverage does not affect the cost of premiums, which range from $350 to $375 per semester depending on the campus.

UNC students are not required to buy a wellness plan from the university, but they are going to be required to have well being insurance as of this fall (Ferreri, Raleigh News & Observer, 8/13). Last year, 11 UNC campuses required that students purchase health insurance, while the other five offered voluntary plans. All campuses except North Carolina Central University in Durham included the elective abortion coverage last year, according to system spokesperson Joni Worthington. She said she is unaware of any previous complaints about the coverage (AP/Greensboro News & Record, 8/12).

Even although the abortion coverage does not affect costs, Students for Life of America argued that such as the coverage forces students to fund abortions. Kristan Hawkins, the group’s executive director, said, “I think the opt-out [option] is actually a step within the correct direction, but it’s not a solution,” adding, “I don’t want anyone to have abortion coverage” (Raleigh News & Observer, 8/13).

Reprinted with kind permission from http://www.nationalpartnership.org. You are able to view the whole Everyday Women’s Wellness Policy Report, search the archives, or sign up for email delivery here. The Daily Women’s Well being Policy Report can be a totally free service with the National Partnership for Girls & Families.

? 2010 National Partnership for Girls & Families. All rights reserved.

Healthcare Prof:

Virginia has created a task force to slow well being costs and implement well being care reform even as the state is suing to stop a key mandate in the law, The Washington Post reports. Gov. Bob McDonnell “introduced the 24-member panel, comprised of legislators, wellness professionals, doctors and insurers, at a news conference Monday afternoon at the Capitol. The announcement came the same day the state Bureau of Insurance received $1 million from the federal government to improve its oversight of wellness insurance cost increases.” The group will likely be chaired by Virginia Secretary of Wellness and Human Resources Bill Hazel and “will look at six areas: Medicaid reform, insurance market reform, delivery and payment reform, capacity, technology and purchasers perspective” (Kumar, 8/16).

The Roanoke (Va.) Times: “Virginia has filed a federal lawsuit challenging a provision with the well being care act that will need individuals to buy wellness insurance or pay a penalty to the government. But the court fight could drag on for years. In the meantime, McDonnell said, the health care bill ‘is the law with the land.’ … McDonnell called the federal law ‘dizzying’ and said the state has work to do to prepare for its full implementation in 2014. But the governor also wants the panel to look beyond the federal law and devise state approaches to improving well being care services, reducing costs and addressing work force shortage issues.” The group is expected to create recommendations by December (Sluss, 8/17).

In other health reform news, Politico reports that some Catholic groups are protesting a bus tour by the Susan B. Anthony list – an anti-abortion action group – of swing districts to protest anti-abortion Democrats who voted for the well being reform bill. The Susan B. Anthony supporters stopped in Pennsylvania “to take aim” at one of those Democrats, Rep. Kathleen Dahlkemper. “Catholics United, a group that aired ads thanking anti-abortion Democrats for voting ‘yes’ on health reform, protested Monday at SBA List stops in Pennsylvania cities including Erie, Meadville, Grove City and Butler” (Hunt, 8/16).

The Hill: The U.S. Chamber of Commerce is complaining that rules for so-called “grandfathered” wellness plans in well being reform will actually cause employers to drop coverage for their employees, instead of the intended opposite. America’s Wellness Insurance Plans is also complaining about such rules, which the Chamber says makes cost-sharing limits too tight and doesn’t allow nearly any change in policy or issuers without loss of status. In addition, they say the Department of Labor should be more specific about just when a plan will lose its “grandfathered” status (Lillis, 8/16).

Kaiser Wellness News/The Texas Tribune: Physician-owned hospitals in Texas are also preparing for what could possibly be a bleak future for them under wellness reform. “With a ban on new facilities, expansion plans quashed and doctor ownership curtailed, 70 such hospitals in Texas are plotting their next move. Some plan to sell out to big hospital systems. Others are scouring the legislation for legal loopholes and technicalities. At least one of the state’s physician-owned hospitals has sued the federal government, challenging the constitutionality of wellness care reform. … [Opponents of the hospitals] allege an inherent conflict of interest in doctors referring patients to hospitals in which they have a financial interest and argue the hospitals contribute towards the country’s soaring wellness care costs” (Ramshaw, 8/16).

Chattanooga Times Free of charge Press: “Under the wellness care reform law passed by Congress in March, health insurance plans that begin on or after Sept. 23 must cover recommended preventive services and may no longer charge patients copayments or deductibles for these services when delivered by an in-network provider. Starting in January, Medicare enrollees will get certain totally free preventive services, such as annual wellness visits and personalized prevention plans. Well being officials say the expanded coverage is critical. Americans get preventive care such as cancer screenings and routine vaccinations at about half the recommended rate, mainly for financial reasons, based on the U.S. Department of Wellness and Human Services.” Insurer BlueCross BlueShield of Tennessee expects minimal impact, but is still “evaluating what exactly will probably be covered for free of charge under the new mandates” (Bregel, 8/17).

This information was reprinted from kaiserhealthnews.org with kind permission from the Henry J. Kaiser Family members Foundation. You can view the whole Kaiser Every day Wellness Policy Report, search the archives and sign up for e-mail delivery at kaiserhealthnews.org.

? Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation. All rights reserved.

4 (1 votes)

Healthcare Prof:

As the Susan B. Anthony List continued its bus tour of swing districts on Monday, the group Catholics United protested the antiabortion-rights group’s Pennsylvania stops and expressed support for Democratic House members who voted for the federal well being reform law (PL 111-148), Politico reports.

SBA List — which supports female candidates who oppose abortion rights — is targeting Indiana Reps. Brad Ellsworth, Baron Hill and Joe Donnelly; Ohio Reps. Steve Driehaus and Marcy Kaptur; and Pennsylvania Rep. Kathy Dahlkemper (Pa.) for voting for the health reform law. SBA List spokesperson and former Rep. Marilyn Musgrave (R-Colo.) said that the bus tour is “exposing the hypocrisy of these so-called pro-life Democrats,” adding that Catholics United “was trying to give them cover, and it doesn’t work.”

SBA List organized the bus tour to campaign against a group of antiabortion-rights Democratic House members who voted for the health reform law after President Obama pledged to concern an executive order reiterating that federal funds would not be used for abortion services. Antiabortion-rights advocates and some Catholic groups claim that the executive order and also the law do not adequately ensure that federal funds will not be used for abortion services.

Catholics United, the National Organization for Females and other groups joining the counter-protests argue that the law includes sufficient restrictions to prevent federal funding for abortion services. Dave Robinson, executive director of Pax Christi USA, said that SBA List “is little more than a partisan front group, which uses issues like abortion to confuse voters and to score cheap political points.”

Catholics United has aired television ads thanking antiabortion-rights Democrats who supported the health reform law. The group has pledged $500,000 to defend Dahlkemper, Driehaus, Virginia Rep. Thomas Perriello (D) and Ohio Rep. John Boccieri (D) (Hunt, Politico, 8/16).

Reprinted with type permission from http://www.nationalpartnership.org. You are able to view the whole Every day Women’s Health Policy Report, search the archives, or sign up for e-mail delivery here. The Daily Women’s Wellness Policy Report is actually a free service with the National Partnership for Girls & Families.

? 2010 National Partnership for Ladies & Families. All rights reserved.

Healthcare Prof:

The following summarizes selected women’s health-related blog entries.

~ “Florida Forced Hospitalization Case Proves Sexism is Alive and Properly,” Bonnie Erbe, U.S. News & World Report‘s “Politics & Policy”: The recent case of a six-months pregnant Florida woman who was “forcibly hospitalized … since the doctor said she was risking a miscarriage if she didn’t quit smoking and stay inside the hospital on bed rest” is “one of those cases that proves sexism is still alive and well in America,” Erbe writes. She asks, “[H]ow often are young men forcibly hospitalized for any reason?” The woman “took her doctor to court for forcing her to become a ward with the state for the heinous crime of visiting a doctor while pregnant,” and a state appellate court recently ruled that the woman’s forced hospitalization was “a denial of her constitutional rights,” Erbe writes. Erbe says that she has “long thought that any major medical decisions need not be made ‘by a woman and her doctor,’ whether they pertain to pregnancy or not.” She adds, “Women should make their medical decisions with information provided her by her doctor or doctors,” but the “pure energy of decision-making should reside with the woman, just as it does with a man” (Erbe, “Politics & Policy,” U.S. News & World Report, 8/13).

~ “EMILY’s List Takes Swipe at Sarah Palin’s ‘Mama Grizzlies’,” Suzi Parker, Politics Daily‘s “Woman Up”: Former Alaska Gov. and 2008 Republican vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin “has made ‘Mama Grizzlies’ a campaign theme, but a Democratic women’s groups is growling back,” Parker writes of EMILY’s List’s new campaign, “Sarah Doesn’t Speak for Me.” The mission of the campaign is “[t]o fight back against Palin’s ‘radical agenda’ and her endorsed candidates,” Parker continues, noting that EMILY’s List — which works to elect female candidates who support abortion rights — “plans to announce more details with the campaign Tuesday in Washington.” EMILY’s List’s Jes McIntosh said the group “wanted to respond to Sarah Palin and her candidates’ assertions that they had been speaking for all girls having a community of girls who are speaking for themselves.” McIntosh added that the new campaign is “a place for them to connect and respond, meet their neighbors and tell what they want out of their government” (Parker, “Woman Up,” Politics Daily, 8/16).

~ “Right-Wing Blogs Falsely Claim Avastin Concern is Example of Government ‘Rationing,’” Media Matters for America: In the wake of an FDA advisory panel’s recommendation that the agency revoke its approval of Avastin to treat advanced breast cancer, “right-wing blogs have attempted to portray the debate as cost-driven rationing of wellness care,” a Media Matters blog states. The blog notes that “FDA does not consider cost in its decisions, and studies have shown that Avastin … has serious side effects without significantly prolonging life.” The blog gives several examples and refutations of claims from right-wing blogs about Avastin (Media Matters for America, 8/16).

~ “Planning Effective Women- and Girl-Centered HIV/AIDS Programming,” Audacia Ray, International Women’s Health Coalition’s “Akimbo”: Ladies have accounted for more than 50% of HIV cases worldwide since 2002, and “[a]s a result, many HIV/AIDS testing, prevention, treatment, and care programs are now tailored to address gender inequities,” Ray writes. Nevertheless, “while lots of programs are a good start — it would be better if they were all actually successful,” she continues, adding that the Open Society Institute “has just launched a new resource to guide donors, policymakers and program managers in planning effective HIV/AIDS interventions for females and girls.” The guide is “a comprehensive review of successful HIV programming for ladies and girls spanning 2,000 articles and reports with data from more than 90 countries,” according to Ray. “Hopefully, due to this site, existing programs will likely be inspired to fine-tune their operations, and brand new ones will be able to start off on the proper foot,” she writes. Ray concludes, “Good intentions for the wellness and welfare of females and girls are, of course, good — but they’re only wonderful when they are carried out within the best, most efficient way possible” (Ray, “Akimbo,” International Women’s Well being Coalition, 8/16).

Reprinted with type permission from http://www.nationalpartnership.org. You’ll be able to view the entire Every day Women’s Wellness Policy Report, search the archives, or sign up for e-mail delivery here. The Daily Women’s Wellness Policy Report is a free of charge service with the National Partnership for Girls & Families.

? 2010 National Partnership for Women & Families. All rights reserved.

View drug information on Avastin.

Healthcare Prof:

5 (4 votes)

Restrictions on abortion coverage under the federal health reform law (PL 111-148) could further marginalize immigrant and poor women’s access to reproductive care and legal abortion, ABC News reports. Unable to afford a safe, medically supervised abortion, some low-income females turn to self-induced abortion using misoprostol, which is FDA-approved to treat stomach ulcers and is widely used about the world to avoid postpartum hemorrhaging. The drug, sold inside the U.S. as Cytotec, is prescribed in combination with mifepristone to provide medical abortion services. When taken in sequence, mifepristone and misoprostol are 95% to 97% effective at ending pregnancy, while misoprostol taken alone is 80% to 85% powerful and believed to cause birth defects if it fails.

According to ABC News, some low-income women and immigrants who lack access to well being care use misoprostol by itself as a “do-it-yourself abortion tool,” a trend that “underscores the barriers” females face in trying to access reproductive wellness care services. A recent survey of 1,500 females by Ibis Reproductive Health and Gynuity Health Projects found that about 4% of ladies in New York, Boston, San Francisco and along the Texas-Mexico border who have ever been pregnant reported using misoprostol or some other method to self-induce an abortion. Misoprostol “is a new solution to an old problem,” Daniel Grossman, a researcher with Ibis, said.

About 1.2 million abortions had been performed inside the U.S. in 2005 — the last year for which data are available — and an estimated 40% of all females will have an abortion in their lifetime, in accordance with the Guttmacher Institute. 1 in eight U.S. females who seek abortion services pick medical abortion, which is only available to girls who are eight or fewer weeks pregnant.

Cost is a significant barrier to abortion access for many ladies, ABC News reports. Surgical abortions can cost an average of $430 inside the first-trimester and $1,260 in the second trimester, according to a study published inside the journal Contraception. Compared with other age groups, females ages 24 through 34 are more likely to have an abortions and to be uninsured. Based on the National Latina Institute for Reproductive Health, 57% of Hispanic girls of reproductive age are uninsured.

“The important issue here is to look at why women” self-administer misoprostol and other drugs to terminate unintended pregnancies, Grossman said. He added, “It truly comes down to barriers females face accessing abortion care” — such as a lack of public funding or needs for parental consent — that “end up forcing some ladies to kind of take matters into their own hands.”

Misoprostol Use High Among Hispanics

According to ABC News, misoprostol use is common in Latin American countries where abortion is illegal because the drug can “make a shameful process into something that looks like a miscarriage.” Hispanic immigrants within the U.S. can obtain the drugs from relatives overseas or in bodegas for about $2 per pill. It’s “a challenge” to determine the exact number of misoprostol-induced abortions within the Hispanic community, Jessica Gonzalez-Roja, deputy director with the NLIRH, said. She added, “The problem is very stigmatizing and is spoken in quiet and secrecy, and we don’t hear form ladies when it happens.”

Although you can find several reasons Hispanic females turn to self-abortion methods, the “underlying factor is cost in a population that’s largely uninsured,” ABC News reports. In accordance with NLIRH, about 38% of Hispanics are uninsured. Well being experts say that immigrants and females of color are likely to be affected most by the abortion restrictions included inside the wellness reform law and other federal measures (Donaldson James, ABC News, 8/16).

Reprinted with type permission from http://www.nationalpartnership.org. You are able to view the entire Daily Women’s Well being Policy Report, search the archives, or sign up for email delivery here. The Daily Women’s Wellness Policy Report is a free of charge service with the National Partnership for Girls & Families.

? 2010 National Partnership for Females & Families. All rights reserved.