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The Criminalization of Women Controlling the Size of Their Families

A woman in Idaho is facing a $5,000 fine and up to five years in prison for an ‘unlawful abortion’. The mother of three believed she was 14 weeks along (examination of the fetus remains found that it was 20-25 weeks) and did not have the resources to visit a doctor for an actual medical abortion. Feeling it was her last option, her sister ordered medication online to induce a miscarriage. An anti-choice advocate found out about the situation and called the police on the woman.

This is one of the first more published examples of how 20 week bans on abortion will begin making women, many of whom are already mothers, into criminals. The typical centrist seems to see criminalizing abortion after 20 weeks as something that makes sense; we have all heard the arguments, “oh, well any woman would have to know by 20 weeks she was pregnant” or “it is her fault for waiting so long”. Obviously those statements do not hold up given the attempted cuts to planned parenthood, the mandatory counseling and waiting periods, and the lack of abortion providers in rural areas. (Not to mention women with very wanted pregnancies who find out about serious, un-survivable genetic abnormalities or diseases after 20 weeks). Some women may very well know how far along they are, but that does not change the amount of money they have in the bank, it does not add abortion coverage ...