2024-01-26T10:04:39+00:00
A-
A
A+
/ American academic institutions revealed that about 520,000 cases of “rape” of women, and more than 64,000 pregnancies as a result, were recorded in 14 states that legally prohibit abortion.
The American CNN Arabia network reported that estimates by researchers who conducted a new study indicate that tens of thousands of pregnancies resulting from sexual rape have been recorded in a number of American states that do not allow abortion as a legal option.
In the study published in the journal JAMA Internal Medicine, researchers from Planned Parenthood, Resound Research for Reproductive Health, and academic institutions across the United States used a set of federal surveys on crimes and sexual violence to estimate that there were about 520,000 cases of rape, which resulted in Up to 64,565 pregnancies occurred at a time when abortion was banned in 14 states.
Other research found that there were fewer than 10 abortions per month in states that imposed the ban, indicating that most, if not most, female victims were unable to obtain abortions in the states in which they lived, even those where the law allowed rape exceptions. .
“Restricting access to abortion for rape survivors may have particularly devastating consequences,” the medical journal’s editors wrote in a note about the new research.
They added, “It is not known whether rape survivors underwent illegal abortions, received abortion medications through the mail, traveled to other states, or carried the child to term.”
1 in 5 adults in the United States believe that abortion should be legal in all cases, according to a 2022 Pew Research Center survey.
A much larger majority, about 70% of adults, believe that abortion should be legal if the pregnancy is the result of rape. But experts and this new research show that actually putting these exceptions into practice is challenging.
“Like many written exceptions to abortion bans, the exception for rape victims may seem like a reasonable solution, but in practice, “This can create additional trauma and danger for patients who have already experienced a traumatic event.”
“No other health care system is intended only for people who can prove that a crime occurred,” she added. “This is not an ethical way to practice medicine. It is cruel to force people who have already become victims to jump through legal and logistical barriers that cause more harm.”
Health care providers may not always ask this question, and female victims may not want to disclose this matter, but even those who do may face additional challenges, according to experts.
“Those who become pregnant after rape may take longer to recognize signs of pregnancy than other pregnant women, and there may be factors related to the trauma response that explain this,” explained Dr. Rachel Berry, an associate professor of obstetrics and gynecology at the University of California, California.
Perry, who was not involved in the new study, noted that this delay may mean that medication abortion, which can be used up to 10 weeks into pregnancy, is not an option, and women may have to travel particularly long distances to reach a provider.
Rape victims often know their attacker and may already live with him.
“It may be particularly difficult for them to travel out of state for abortion care,” said Dr. Samuel Dickman, medical director of Planned Parenthood in Montana and lead author of the new research. “Trying to order pills online the way some people do may be especially dangerous for them.” “.
It is difficult to measure the frequency of sexual assault, and Dickman acknowledges that the study includes many statistical assumptions.
But part of it is about raising awareness about this stigmatized issue, and taking an honest look at who might be affected by the abortion ban, and potential exceptions.