The ethics of access: reframing the need for abortion care as a health disparity
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Authors
Watson, Katie
Issue Date
2022-05-27
Type
Article
Language
en_US
Keywords
Abortion , Children andFamilies , Contraception , Cultural Studies , Health Equity , Justice
Alternative Title
Abstract
The majority of U.S. abortion patients are poor women, and Black and Hispanic women. Therefore, this article encourages bioethicists and equity advocates to consider whether the need for abortion care should be considered a health disparity, and if yes, whether framing it this way would increase the ability of poor women and women of color to get the medical care they need. In order to engage with these critical questions, bioethicists must avoid abortion exceptionalism and respect patients as moral agents. Centering the conscience of pregnant people shifts our analysis away from the ethics of the act of abortion, and toward the ethics of access to abortion care. Because the Supreme Court is on the brink of shifting the question of abortion's legality to state legislatures, this is the moment for all bioethicists to clarify and strengthen their thinking, writing, and teaching in abortion ethics.
Description
Citation
Watson K. (2022). The Ethics of Access: Reframing the Need for Abortion Care as a Health Disparity. The American journal of bioethics : AJOB, 22(8), 22–30. https://doi.org/10.1080/15265161.2022.2075976
Publisher
The American Journal of Bioethics