Study: Fewer Doctors Are Offering Abortions

When I see news like this it reminds me how MUCH more difficult it is to find a doctor willing to provide abortions for women who live in rural areas of the US.

For women seeking an abortion, finding a doctor willing to offer the procedure is easier said than done.
http://capsules.kaiserhealthnews.org/index.php/2011/08/study-a-declining-share-of-ob-gyns-offer-abortions/

Only 1 in 7 Ob/Gyns Do Abortions, Survey Finds

http://www.medpagetoday.com/OBGYN/GeneralOBGYN/28173

Health Care Cuts will impact Rural Community in 2012

http://www.dailyyonder.com/preparing-health-care-cuts/2011/08/22/3486

Telemedicine and abortion: Study finds procedure is safe

There have been 5 states so far who have significant rural communities, who have passed legislation to restrict the use of medication abortion via telemedicine. These articles highlight the research done to show that it is a safe procedure and it benefits women in remote locations. More importantly, this research will expose the criticisms of abortion via telemedicine for what they really - an attack on telemedicine because of moral and political opposition to abortion.

http://today.msnbc.msn.com/id/43828311/ns/health/

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/43830382/ns/health/

http://azcapitoltimes.com/news/2011/07/19/with-law-on-hold-availability-of-nonsurgical-abortions-continues-%E2%80%94-for-now/

Rural youth have something to say

I am encouraged by the statement of rural youth in this blog post from Daily Yonder for the future of rural communities. I am looking forward to see what comes down the pike as they understand healthcare for women and families will be something they need to have vibrant lives.

"We demand of ourselves a proactive and invested community that has quality healthcare, adequate housing, and enlightened education in a safe and sustainable environment. Where no person goes thirsty, hungry, or homeless, and every person is accepted no matter who your momma is. All these things done with love tell the story of our future in rural communities."

http://www.dailyyonder.com/we-demand-ourselves/2011/06/30/3407

Chipping away at telemedicine for women

I have posted articles on this blog before that talk about the promise of telemedicine in rural communities. That is one of the many reasons this article in the Des Moines Register is so upsetting. I realize that rural women have been mentioned  quite a bit in many of the current abortion policy and restriction battles. However, rural women are not just a convenient group to point to,  they are real people who will feel the impact of this limitation on telemedicine.

Pregnant women in rural areas struggle to find healthcare no matter what they choose to do

This blog post from Daily Yonder describes the impact of closing maternity wards in rural areas.  Women in rural areas have very few options when it comes to the issues they face in pregnancy: abortion, still birth, miscarriage, pre-natal care and even a place to deliver the baby. Why are we choosing to leave women of reproductive age with little to no health care options when it comes to pregnancy?

Documentary on Rural Alabama and health care

Wilcox County, Alabama. Three primary care physicians serve the entire county. One doctor for every 4,667 people.
Take some time to watch A Certain Kind and you'll get an idea of the struggles in these communities to find health care providers.

Great OpEd in the Kansas City Star

Politicizing abortion piles pain on the suffering - The title of this oped says it all.

The Planned Parenthood Question

It is mind numbing to see women and families in rural parts of this country lose MORE access to healthcare because some people oppose abortion. I wonder how much more women will have to lose before it is too much? And how will we see that?

In Montana and elsewhere, Planned Parenthood serves broad function

Great news for rural women in Nebraska and Iowa

This articlen the Chicago Tribune is great news for rural women living in Nebraska and Iowa. It is good to see women's medical care and abortion expanding in regions where access to health care is difficult.

Short film on Rural Health Care in America

STOP! Take some time to see this short film Crossroads-Rural Health Care in America  by Richard Falco and Joe Alicastro. I am impressed with the commitment of the organizers to get out in to the community to connect people with services that are available. It is also a good reminder that we have many people in the US who have to consider whether they pay bills or get health care. And in rural areas, you'll need to pay for the gas to drive long distances to find a provider. Not easy choices.

Access to services for rural women

Every where you turn there is talk about the impact defunding Planned Parenthood will have on rural women. Here is a story that actually tells a story of those women:http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/03/25/planned-parenthood-low-income-rural_n_840730.html
Good stuff. Though I'd say we need to be thinking about how to get abortion care services more integrated into rural health care for the women who cannot make it to Planned Parenthood.

And one person's commentary on South Dakota's 3 day wait

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/social/HeresaClue/south-dakota-abortion-bil_n_839063_81637407.html

3 day waiting period in South Dakota

It is stunning to me that there are people who want to add more burden to women who live in rural areas to get the health care they are seeking. But this is exactly what the Gov of South Dakota has signed in to law. A solid 3 day waiting period before being able to get an abortion. South Dakota

Rural health struggle in WV

Recent funding changes have folks in WV wondering how it will impact rural health care training.
WV Rural Health Struggle

Telemedicine and HIV

so http://www.beckershospitalreview.com/healthcare-information-technology/study-telemedicine-as-effective-as-real-visit-for-hiv-patients.html

Great news for people who are living with HIV and living in rural areas.

Rural women and breast health

I find this research on rural women and breast health to be compelling. I don't find much research that highlights the voices of women in rural areas about ANYTHING so when I ran across this article I was thrilled. With rural women being considered in the news so much these days it important that advocates take the time to ask what women are experiencing. And that we listen.

"The women articulated their concerns with the statements, "I need to be around for those I love" and "If I don't take care of myself, no one else will." The Appalachian women used these words as they described their daily lives and their personal responsibilities to others and themselves. The study shows that appealing to their strength as caretakers encourages them to take care of themselves, so that they in turn can live up to their care giving responsibilities."

Lessons from Nepal

We hear it all the time. Abortion being legal does not equal access. Especially for women in rural areas. This oped about abortion and the lower MMR (maternal mortality rate) in Nepal makes some great points.
The lessons come from everywhere, if we can learn.

Hi everyone - I want to share this exciting report from AAP! See below.

wma

A letter from the Executive Director and Board President

We are pleased to share with you AAP's organizational report for 2008-2010.

The past three years have brought reminders that abortion must be approached with openness, compassion and, often, with bravery.  As AAP's work has expanded into more hostile and persistently underserved places - conservative Southern and Midwestern states, rural communities across the U.S. - we have grappled with the challenges of engaging people around the issue of abortion. Many of our programs now work explicitly in communities where there is a history of entrenched opposition to abortion, a culture of pervasive stigma and silence, and a troubled history with and subsequent distrust of "outsiders", particularly concerning public health.

As an organization, we are honing our ability to partner with these communities by approaching them with the same commitment, openness, and compassion we extend to women seeking abortion - and by honoring the bravery that our organizers, organizational partners, and women themselves exercise regularly.  Our collective work is needed. Gains we experienced in 2008-2010 such as the expanded availability of early, medication abortion are offset by losses, some of which have come at a heavy cost.  We lost Dr. Tiller.  With health care reform and the persistence of the Hyde Amendment, we lost the opportunity to provide crucial supports for poor women. Independent clinics have closed or are facing the threat of closure, leaving women in those communities with diminished choices and drawing down on the diverse types of providers  - private practices, clinics, hospitals - that a strong system of care needs.

Expanding access to safe abortion care is the work we have to do.  And this is AAP's moment to do it.  We have more resources than ever. We have a team of successful organizers and collaborative partners who bring innovation, experience and credibility.  New, on-the-ground alliances are being formed where there are resources, interest and support.   Capacity is being built in difficult places. We have established a significant presence for abortion-related work in some of the most politically and culturally hostile environments. As we take this moment to look back, we are awed and appreciative of the work of many, and poised to build on our shared successes and face the challenges ahead.  

    

Please click here to view our 2008-2010 organizational report.  As always, we welcome your feedback.  Thank you for your support and collaboration and we look forward to continuing to share our success with you.

Melanie Zurek, Executive Director

Janet Singer, Chair of the AAP Board

Great event in Iowa

AAP organizer, Kathleen Lane, recently co-hosted this event in Iowa on silence, stigma and abortion. Follow the link for a report on the very timely and very needed conversation that happened.

Still a long way to go

I have written about telemedicine in my blog. I know it is not the answer to all of the access issues in rural health care. This article reminds me how far we have to go.

Solutions. And problems.

Greetings Allies! I have found two more articles to share with you. I am always on the lookout for inspiration and different ways to see our struggles and solutions regarding access to health care. The NY Times ran a great piece on lay health care workers making a difference in their community for pregnant women. What struck me in this blog was the way both live birth and pregnancy loss is being addressed. I often see women's experiences with pregnancy loss - abortion, still birth and miscarriage - completely ignored. It was inspiring to see a different solution.
Here in the US, there has been a lot of talk and legislative action around not using federal funds for Planned Parenthood. When we stop to think about the implications this has for rural women we cannot over look this question: where will women be able to access the services that were provided by PP clinics? Where?

Access to women's health care

It is so easy to get caught up in the hard lines drawn around women's health care and forget what we have gained from having increased technology and access to abortion, pre-natal and post natal care. This short article in the Atlantic Monthly captures this well. The author does a great job detailing what we have gained and what we stand to lose. In short- women's lives.
I also wanted to share this op-ed that points out the impact cutting and preventing services will have on rural women in NY. AZ is also dealing with threats to rural women's health care services to rural women.
I am hoping we can find other solutions and fight for these women and families who already have limited access to care.

Creative solutions to women in rural health

I came across this story while researching women's health in rural areas. While this story focuses on maternal and infant mortality in rural India, I was interested in the creativity they used not only to educate people but to process grief. Would love to hear your thoughts and your links to other stories.