•Press Release Abortion Disability Health and Social Programs Inequality United States
Washington — Repercussions from the recent Supreme Court decision ending constitutional protections for abortion continue to reverberate. A new analysis, released today by the Center for Economic and Policy Research, suggests women and people with disabilities who can become pregnant are at risk of greater harm if denied access to safe abortion services.
How Restricting Reproductive Rights Hurts People with Disabilities: A Review of Research Findings, by researcher Annabel Utz, pairs the prevalence of disability among women of reproductive age with scholarly research. The result reveals that people with disabilities experienced increased difficulty accessing adequate reproductive health services before the recent Supreme Court decision, health risks associated with pregnancy can be more severe for people with disabilities, and people with disabilities are more likely to experience unintended pregnancy and uncertainty about becoming pregnant.
“When you add it up, it is clear that people with disabilities who can become pregnant are among those most negatively impacted by state abortion bans and restrictions,” said Utz.
