Right to Bodily Autonomy

The Right to Bodily Autonomy in Regards to Women's Rights 

What does the Right to Bodily Autonomy mean? 

The Right to Bodily Autonomy means that one has agency over their body. The United Nation Population Fund describes this as, one having, "the information, the services, and the means to make decisions about their own bodies and lives – free from violence, discrimination or coercion – they can chart their own destiny and realize their full potential". (1)

History of Bodily Autonomy 

Bodily Autonomy has been expressed through abortions that happen prior to any legislation on abortion. "Researchers feel that restrictions were placed on abortions for women so that the African American Population and immigrant populations would not surpass the white population in this country. (There were many laws that made abortion illegal but permitted abortion and sterilization techniques among people of color)." (2) Even though abortion became illegal women would still get abortions however now they were unsafe and often resulted in harmful procedures and even death, "illegal abortion accounted for almost half of all maternal death by 1962." (2) 

UNFPA (Director). (2021). #MyBodyIsMyOwn: What is Bodily Autonomy? [Film]. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TdFz6FiZ2bs

Who Will the Right to Bodily Autonomy Affect? 

Not only will this affect anyone who has the ability to get pregnant but it will affect those of color and of low income at a higher rate. Legislation that acts government-funded programs will affect those who need access to affordable healthcare. Only people who can afford to seek an abortion will be able to. There will be people who can not afford to pay for abortion and or be able to travel to get access to affordable health care. Some may not even be able to achieve this within the allotted time restrictions to be able to receive an abortion. 

Why is the Right to Bodily Autonomy Important Right Now? 

In fact, the majority of legislation that has been pushed through the government since 2011 can account for nearly half of the restriction bans placed on abortion. This right is only continuing to be threatened at an increasing rate. Also with potential legislation of harsh prosecution of women who receive an abortion becoming more of a reality one must consider the actuality of this action. For instance, "There are approximately 1.2 million abortions done legally in the United States a year. Prosecuting only 10% of abortion recipients would double the amount of women being imprisoned in the United States." (2) If the majority of women who have received an abortion already have children this would then result in, " children being raised by extended families or state-approved guardians. It is proven that children whose parents serve in prison, are more likely themselves to end up in jail." (2)  If there is continued legislation on the practice of safe abortion this will result in the closing of clinics and then ultimately affect those even learning how to do this procedure safely and successfully. 

National Bureau of Economic Research, "The Economic Consequences of Being Denied an Abortion," 2022 American Journal of Public Health, "Socioeconomic Outcomes of Women Who Recieve and Women Who Are Denied Wanted Abortions in the United States." 2018 Infographic: Tracy Matsue Loeffelholz

Statistics and Facts 

It is conservatively estimated that one in five Medicaid-eligible women who want an abortion cannot obtain one. (2)

In the U.S., 84% of all countries have no abortion services; of rural counties, 95% have no services. (2) 

Only 12% of OB/GYN residency programs train in first-trimester abortion; only 7% in second-trimester abortions. (2)

Abortion is the most common OB/GYN surgical procedure, yet almost half of graduating OB/Gyn residents have never performed a first-trimester abortion. (2)

Thirty-nine states have parental involvement laws requiring minors to notify or obtain an abortion. (2) 

Twenty-one states require state-directed counseling before a woman may obtain an abortion. (this is often called "informed consent"; some critics call it a "biased information requirement") (2)

Twelve states currently enforce mandatory waiting periods following state-directed counseling; this can result in long delays. (2) 

In 2017, some 40% of California counties had no clinics that provided abortions, and 3% of California women lived in those counties. (3)

One study shows that people—disproportionately Black and Latinx people—have had to travel more than 100 miles to find an abortion provider that accepts Medi-Cal. (4)

How Does the Right to Bodily Autonomy Affect Me? 

This affects me because I have a uterus and can get pregnant. I have used Planned Parenthood services and opted for a medication abortion when I found out I got pregnant when I was 24. I was in school, living with my parents, and mentally and financially unstable. I was in no position to be able to be a mother and that is why I chose to have an abortion. I often think about how different my life would have been if I had to carry the child to term. To have no option in matters is truly terrifying because I do not know what it would have done to me financially, mentally, and physically. I also think the aspect of timing in regard to abortion is getting more complex, making it harder to be able to get an abortion in qualifying time. I realized I was pregnant when I was just four weeks and I actually had to wait two weeks before I could have an abortion to ensure it was successful. I often think about people who don't find out until later on and depending on state legislature they may not be able to elect to have an abortion. 

Why I Chose the Right to Bodily Autonomy? 

The right to bodily autonomy affects me because I believe it should be a human right to control what happens to our body without governmental interference. I remember learning about women's rights when I was young. I was probably thirteen by the time I claimed myself to be a feminist. I often remember getting into debates with people over the core definition of the word feminist and how its core beliefs are something should all be able to agree to and support gender equity across all sexes. It is scary to see the crumbling of women's rights and how it is debated for political sport. We are losing the right to decide what is best for our lives and future. It shouldn't be up to politicians to decide whether someone can choose their life over a cluster of cells. It shouldn't be up to politicians to decide whether victims of sexual assault will have to carry a birth to term. It shouldn't be up to politicians who can have children regardless of their situation. I see the rights of women being stripped away in many countries and even now there are women protesting in Iran for the right to be able to choose to wear a hijab and that in itself is connected to the right of bodily autonomy. 

Voices of the Community : 

“I would say it affects me as a woman and can technically affect everyone - regardless of gender. It affects me personally as a woman because I would consider bodily autonomy to fall under free will. Therefore each person should have governance over their own body especially outside of the religious and/or political beliefs of others” - Sharon Wong

“I’ve been lucky in my experience where I used my government resources like Planned Parenthood to be able to get things like Plan B, tested and everything they offer. But in different states, they don’t allow those same resources and that’s terrifying to see. When I also think of bodily autonomy I also think about what I can wear because of what society dictates as acceptable and I fear what would happen if I represented myself authentically. ” -  Becca Schuster

“This social issue does affect me because I take the liberty of taking the utmost care of my reproductive health. I find it super important to have the right to have access to birth control and abortion services because it should be available to our agency as women to make those decisions ourselves rather than political powers having the ultimate say in what should take place in women’s bodies. Although groups with particular beliefs hold the belief that fetuses are babies from the beginning doesn’t mean everyone does too. Similarly the right to religious expression, where we can coexist in a society with all different religions and beliefs, women should have the right to reproductive autonomy because the choice should be completely on the person rather than influenced by groups who want to make a decision as a whole that does not reflect the rest of society.” Terry Suon

Participants asked that their pictures be blurred for privacy reasons.

References :

1. Kanem, D. N. (2022, March 16). Bodily autonomy: A fundamental right. United Nations Population Fund. Retrieved October 27, 2022, from https://www.unfpa.org/press/bodily-autonomy-fundamental-right
2. Kelly, J., Johnson, G. S., Mathews, T. J., Gray, L. D., & Bowman, L. E. (2017). Criminalizing Abortion During President Obama’s Administration: An Exploratory Study. Race, Gender & Class, 24(3–4), 73–99. https://www.jstor.org/stable/2652922
3. Jones RK, Witwer E and Jerman J, Abortion Incidence and Service Availability in the United States, 2017, New York: Guttmacher Institute, 2019.
4. Johns, N.E., Foster, D.G. & Upadhyay, U.D. Distance traveled for Medicaid-covered abortion care in California. BMC Health Serv Res 17, 287 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1186/s12913-017-2241-0