Richie Weker Blog Post 2-Abortion

Abortion policies have been the source of intense debate.  This is due to the extreme polarity of views that people tend to have on the issue.  Anti-Abortion laws had previously been prevalent in every state since the 20^th century, where only some states made it legal under extreme circumstances such as rape or incest.  However, the Supreme Court decision in the Roe v. Wade case where states were unable to prohibit abortion early in pregnancy, but were allowed to impose restrictions or bans later in the pregnancy.

It seems as if the country is split between those who are pro-life and those who are pro-choice.  There is an interesting debate on whether the government should be involved in such a personal decision of individuals.  Abortion financing is also an interesting topic.  The financing of abortion varies from state to state with some states using their policy as an incentive to reduce the number of abortions.  Costs vary depending on what point of pregnancy you are when you go for the abortion.  Laws require that Medicaid cover abortion under extreme circumstance of rape, incest or life endangerment.  There is also Private Insurance with very restrictive coverage varying in different states.  A good thing that has come from abortion legalization is that the risk of death has fallen dramatically as doctors have become more skilled and there has been a reduction in illegal abortions.  There is also an interesting and very controversial theory that allowing for abortions will reduce the amount of criminals and crime because unwanted children are more likely to become criminals.