Destiny L. Mayo
Professor Michael
ENG 110- 216B
December 10th, 2019
Abortion clinics are medical facilities that provide abortion services. For years, anti abortion groups have fought to get these clinics closed down. Thankfully, NYC has remained one of the abortion capitals of America, making abortion accessible. Although abortion is legal and these medical resources are accessible to women, abortion rates in NYC surprisingly remain low compared to states like Alabama, who struggle to keep abortion legal.
Being as though abortion is legal in NYC, one must wonder why the abortion rates have dropped to its lowest ever. According to “US Abortion Rate is at its Lowest, But Restrictiv e Laws Aren’t the Likely Cause”, it states says that “the 13.5 abortions per 1,000 women ages 15-44 is the lowest since the U.S. Supreme Court’s Roe v. Wade decision legalizing abortion nationwide in 1973”. This means that abortion rates have dropped drastically from the years 1973 to now, in 2019. One idea for this decrease in abortion rates is the fact that pregnancy rates have decreased. The article states “The study notes that fertility rates declined in almost all states from 2014 to 2017, and it is unlikely that the decline in abortion was due to an increase in unintended births.” This shows that abortion rates have decreased due to the decrease in fertility rates and not due to a decrease of women having less unintended pregnancies. Another article titled “Some US women are taking reproductive matters into their own hands: They’re ordering abortion pills by mail” proposes the idea that not all abortions aren’t always done at clinics, causing the abortion rates to appear lower than they actually are. The article states “In Aid Access’ first year of operation, 21,000 U.S. women reached out to the online organization launched in March 2018 that offers abortion pills internationally. Requests came from all over the country”. This shows that a huge portion of women in the US are taking a more private approach with abortion by ordering pills online instead of obtaining abortion pills from its primary source, the abortion clinic.
Aside from having legal abortion, abortion clinics are also very accessible in NYC. The article “Abortion in New York” written by Pat Anow states, “Seventy percent of those are performed in the city, where there are 34 major clinics.” This shows that many abortions are done in NYC because of its easy accessibility to multiple abortion clinics around the city. The article goes on to state “Unlike most other places, “there is hospital-based abortion and family planning, that students gain access to as they go through medical training. In most of the rest of the country, that clinical care is not provided in hospitals where students receive most of their training.” ( This shows that even the doctors themselves have accessibility to abortion. This also shows that the medical field is supportive of abortion rights and try to offer its accessibility to whoever, whenever they can, including to those learning about it unlike other countries who are bias and abortion rates in NYC still are continuing to decrease.
Unlike the US, abortion in Alabama remains illegal. According to the article “Everything you need to know about the abortion ban news” written by Marisa Lati and Deanna Paul states, “Alabama’s bill explicitly states that women are exempt from criminal and civil liability. Instead, the law targets doctors, who can be prosecuted for performing an abortion, a felony punishable by up to 99 years imprisonment.” This means that though women in Alabama will not be prosecuted for abortion, the doctor who performs the practice will get up to 99 years of imprisonment, unlike NYC where doctors are encouraged and trained to perform this practice. The authors go on to say “New York City is likely to remain one of the easiest places in the country to have an abortion. Much of this may be a reflection of the prevailing attitudes here, as demonstrated in the positions of public officials (and candidates).” The article explains how NYC has remained one of the few places to have easy accessibility to abortion, and future public officials determine whether or not things will remain this way. Included in the article is a video clip that further explains the new law in Alabama, banning abortion. It also goes more into depth about how public officials aren’t the only reason for the change in laws. There’s a lot of advocated in Alabama supporting the new law. This is causing women to spend their money traveling to states like NYC, where abortion is legal.
Nevertheless, those who are anti abortion might argue that having an abortion is the equivalent of murdering a child, and women who get this practice done deserve to be penalized. Though many others and I may argue that women deserve the right to abortion and should never be penalized or imprisoned for doing so. Factors such as rape and women growing ill due to a pregnancy, should always be taken into consideration. My map shows how abortions are offered all over NYC, making it way more accessible. I myself have had many family members who have gotten abortions for various reasons. I have always believed that all women should have the right to abortion, due to them being the one who has to carry the child. No women should feel forced to birth a child whom she feels she is not ready to raise. Abortion should be made legal world wide.
Work Cited:
Arnow, Pat. “Abortion in New York City.” Gotham Gazette, 28 Aug. 2006, https://www.gothamgazette.com/health/3346-abortion-in-new-york-city.
Lawrence, Elizabeth. “Some US Women Are Taking Reproductive Matters into Their Own Hands: They’re Ordering Abortion Pills by Mail.” USA Today, Gannett Satellite Information Network, 27 June 2019, https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2019/06/25/abortion-by-mail-foothold-limit-ban-states-access/1512470001/.
Marisa Iati, Deanna Paul. “Everything You Need to Know about the Abortion Ban News.” The Washington Post, WP Company, 17 May 2019, https://www.washingtonpost.com/health/2019/05/17/havent-been-following-abortion-ban-news-heres-everything-you-need-know/
Stanglin, Doug. “US Abortion Rate Is at Its Lowest, but Restrictive Laws Aren’t the Likely Cause, Study Says.” USA Today, Gannett Satellite Information Network, 19 Sept. 2019, https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2019/09/18/number-of-abortions-us-drops-guttmacher-institute-study/2362316001/
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