South Dakota passed the closest thing it could to an effective abortion ban this winter. 72-hour waiting period, coercive anti-abortion lectures at religious crusade centers, all because certain elected misogynists think women get abortions without thinking properly.
So aside from equal citizenship and bodily autonomy, what will this lie-based law cost women? Blair Hickman at Jezebel tallies the price for a woman from Faith, South Dakota, who has to drive to the state's only abortion provider in Sioux Falls. She actually lowballs travel, so here's my revision:
- Travel: $102 (696 miles roundtrip, plus 20 miles around town, 25 mpg)
- Doctor: $20 (copay, if insured)
- Lodging: $135 (three nights at Motel 6... three nights, because, unlike Speaker Boehner and the House Republicans, South Dakota women won't get to redefine 72 hours as Tuesday a.m. to Thursday p.m.)
- Food: $45 (unlikely you'll be eating at Minerva's)
- Abortion: $350 (cheaper medical abortion) to $940 (upper cost for surgical abortion)
- Wages lost: $256 (four full work days, $8/hour)
- Total: $908&ndash$1498
South Dakota's draconian abortion laws add at least a third of that cost, not only by imposing lodging expenses and wage losses on women but also by making it difficult for medical professionals to make abortion accessible at more locations around the state.
The abortion itself is still the largest single item in the total cost. That price alone is surely enough to encourage women on South Dakota wages to make good choices and consider other alternatives. I don't know many women who spend that kind of money casually.
And I'm curious: for all the propaganda hay made by supporters of South Dakota's newest draconian abortion law about the abortion "industry" making huge profits on killing fetuses, $350 to $940 for a significant medical procedure still seems pretty cheap compared to other common medical procedures. According to New Choice Health, hospitals make a lot more on an MRI (over $2000), a cardiovascular stress test (low end: $1150), or a colonscopy ($2000). Those hundreds of dollars are still a hard hit for a woman living paycheck to paycheck, but in medical world, there's much more money to be made in other procedures that don't draw picketers and bad P.R.
p.s.: Contrary to Senator Jon Kyl's blatant lie from the Senate floor, abortion accounts for 3% of Planned Parenthood's total services and less than 15% of total revenue.
Or she could drive to Billings and be home in a few hours.
I'm curious about South Dakota's history with abortion legislation. Has it always been driven by the religious right, the Catholic Church other churches and supporters? While I am not a fan of abortion, nor would I ever encourage my daughter to have an abortion, I would respect her decision if that is the avenue she chose.
It surprises me that others feel they should impose religious and personal beliefs via legislation on people they don't know, rather than allowing families to privately decide whether abortion is a legal option they might choose. Do we still have separation of Church and State or has that line been crossed so many times that the separation is now blurred? I'm just curious about our abortion legislation history here in South Dakota.
I hate when people misrepresent numbers. 90%! That's outrageous! If one were to simply look at the numbers: http://www.plannedparenthood.org/files/PPFA/PP_AR_011011_vF.pdf
one would see that of the total $1,100,800,000, once we subtract the $363,200,000 from government grants, and then subtract the $308,200,000 from private contributions, and then subtract the $24,500,000 from misc. revenue, one is left with the $404,900,000 that Planned Parenthood generates from Health Center Income. And if this quote is correct "At an average cost of $500, total revenue from abortion services was approximately $164,154,000", and we take that number, divide it by $404,900,000 and multiple by 100...we get 40.5% of Health Center Income generated from abortions. Nowhere near 90%! So, I would say that Planned Parenthood generates 40% of their income from abortions, but that's because I do not like to include lobbying the government or asking for donations as revenue from services provided.....
Rod, the 2005 abortion task force report is a key part of the history, since by reading the findings into the official record, the proponents now think they have ended all debate about their bogus science and can proceed to legislate their wishes into law.
The Catholic Church likely plays a significant role: my neighbor Gerry, good fellow socialist that he is, also consistently supported anti-abortion legislation. He is a good Knight of Columbus, you know.
To paraphrase the great President Reagan, "The only people infavor of abortion have already been born".
Guess I was trying to raise a family and pay the bills during the Reagan years, I missed the greatness, sorry Tim.
If women who get abortions think so clearly already why would a little counceling from someone with a different opinion stop all abortions. They do not suddenly get stupid just from hearing the other side of the story do they.
The only thing I have against abortions is that the baby always comes out dead.
But Roger, yoru statement doesn't justify using the force of law to coerce women into hearing that other side. Make that argument, and you set up the precedent for forcing people to read the Madville Times before voting Republican.