State Abortion Policy, Legal Penalties, and the Realities of Clinical Practice

Many States Impose a Jail Sentence for Doctors Who Perform Abortions Past Gestational Limits. According to a 2022 analysis of state statutes and laws, 21 States Impose Jail Time for Doctors Who Perform Abortions Beyond State Established Limits. This significant legal landscape highlights the intersection of state abortion policy and clinical practice.

The Nature and Focus of Abortion Clinics

An abortion clinic is a medical facility that specializes in providing abortions. This can be a chain of clinics (such as Planned Parenthood) or a stand-alone clinic. Though some may provide other women’s health services, their focus is in their name: abortion. Abortion clinics prioritize abortion and abortion-related work over other choices like adoption, parenting and pregnancy care. For example, the following data illustrates the distribution of services:

• Abortions: 96.6 percent of pregnancy resolution services
• Prenatal Services: 2.2 percent
• Miscarriage Care: 0.7 percent
• Adoption Referrals: 0.5 percent

This creates a divide between a typical doctor’s office and an abortion clinic. If you were to walk into an OBGYN’s office, their top priority is finding the best service to help their patients thrive, whereas abortion clinics are part of an industry that makes money through selling specific services to women.

Medical Ethics and Professional Standards

Consequently, 86 percent of OBGYNs in the U.S. won’t provide abortions in any form to their patients. Another reason most doctors don’t provide abortion is because it is in direct opposition of the Hippocratic Oath, the ethical foundation of healthcare: “I will give no deadly medicine to any one if asked, nor suggest any such counsel… I will endeavor to do no harm to human health or the natural environment on all projects, large or small.” Additionally, doctors often don’t consider abortion to be the best resolution to pregnancy, especially since only 1 percent of women that seek abortion do so for their health.

Costs and Insurance Coverage

Another misconception is that an appointment at an abortion clinic is covered by insurance. Because it is different than a normal visit to a doctor, this isn’t true. Many women have to pay out-of-pocket due to the Hyde Amendment (which allows states to prohibit insurance coverage of abortions).

Estimated Costs of Abortion Services:

• Abortion pill online (telemedicine): Usually between $200 and $500
• Abortion pill (average): Around $580
• In-clinic abortion: $700 to $2,200 (based on the age of the baby)

None of this includes the cost of pre-abortion screening, which includes pregnancy testing and an ultrasound.

Internal Environment and Clinical Experiences

Women report the environment of an abortion clinic to be heavy, chaotic and lacking comfort. In a recent Netherlands study, it found over one-third of women were unhappy and/or dissatisfied with their in-clinic abortion experience. The experience remains the same for abortion workers who feel there was never enough time allocated to pre-abortive and post-abortive care. Former clinic workers shared the following insights:

• “We had surgical abortion procedures back-to-back-to-back, every 5-10 minutes a new woman would come into the operating room.”
• “We had expired equipment and inadequate sterilization between patients.”
• “I was doing all of the follow-up care… as the receptionist.”

Abortion is a big deal; not only does it take an intense physical toll, the emotional weight surrounding the procedure can be just as lifelong a decision as choosing parenting or adoption.