“The Last Abortion Clinic” is a film documentary that aims at evaluating the legislative aspects of abortion in Mississippi. Set in the state of Mississippi, the documentary aims at highlighting the laws that have been passed to curtail access of abortion in this state. By the time the film was being set, there was only one clinic left in the state that openly offered aborting. Subsequent Antic choice laws have made it very hard for the citizens of the state to access abortion services. In addition, operating clinics can now offer abortion. The first law set against abortion required that all clinics be registered under the state law as surgical centers.
The 24 hour waiting period was introduced, within which time women who needed abortion could accessing counseling services, among other laws. The result is that the laws have significantly affected the way in which reproductive health is approached and viewed. They also have an outright intention of trying to overturn Roe vs. Wade, a monumental ruling by the America Supreme Court that legalized controlled abortion (The Last Abortion Clinic, n.d.).
Increasing laws to restrict access to abortion in the state of Mississippi have had notable consequences. They have complicated the issue of abortion to the extent that it is now impossible to have a single law that sufficiently covers abortion. Furthermore, such laws as Roe vs. Wade have invalidated all laws that limit abortion in the first trimester. However, the undue burden law that allowed the control to determine whether the pregnancy is an undue burden means that many of the women that would have aborted ended up giving birth as it took too long to establish the undue burden proof.
These laws have also had political implications. They have divided the country down the middle, with pro life supporters on one side and pro choice supporters on the other side. The abortion debate is so intense that there are grassroots networks in all states that pressurizes and influences the direction of local politics. Furthermore, women from Mississippi who wants to have abortion have to travel outside the state to procure it with poor women being hit the most by the economically as federal government has subsequently withdrawn financial support to abortion.
Reo Vs Wade has also changed abortion politics forever. The issue is not seen as just a matter of ending a pregnancy but also as life (baby’s) Vs. Life (mother’s). The counseling process for pregnant women seeking abortion required that the women be shown the ultrasound image of the unborn baby. Further more it other issue emerged such as the effects and the trauma that abortion has on women and their right to be informed of these repercussions before abortion. Abortions politics are also used by the electorate to test the level of conservativeness or liberalness of those seeking public office (Lewis, 2011).
Abortion cannot be ignored since it is a mater of public concern. There are reasons why women seek to procure abortion. Currently, many of women who need abortion get it from unqualified and unprofessional sources. There is thus dire health repercussions involved in unprofessionally done abortions. Many women suffer physical injuries, while many die in the process. It is estimated that maternal mortality due to abortions is about 13%. All these consequences is because their no good public health policy that sufficiently over abortion. Preventing such consequences can only be addressed by incorporating abortion as part of public health policy (Berer, 2000).
Reference List
Berer, M. (2000). Making abortion safe: A matter of good public health poly and practice. World Heath Organization. Web.
The Last Abortion Clinic. (n.d.) Frontline. Web.
Lewis, J. (2011). Roe v. Wade Supreme Court Decision. Web.