The choice: a rural mother and abortion care on the Washington-Idaho border
Synopsis
Maternity care deserts make it hard to access abortion services, even in states where abortion is legal. Katia Riddle, reporting for The Guardian from the Washington-Idaho border, follows a single mother of four, Jasmine, as she searches for abortion options in rural America.
Despite living in a state with strong abortion protections, Jasmine struggled to find care due to the distance to a Planned Parenthood from her home, the high cost of an abortion, and not knowing where to look for help. In her search for options, she turned to an anti-abortion crisis pregnancy center, the only nearby place offering a free ultrasound. The center ultimately persuaded her against her initial decision to have an abortion. Now, Jasmine navigates single motherhood, focusing on substance recovery and holding onto the hope of a better future with her partner, who is currently incarcerated for assaulting her.
For women like Jasmine across the country…the decision can be complicated by factors beyond simply what the laws permit.
“How dead do we have to be to get an abortion?”: A woman who was denied an abortion asks the U.S. Supreme Court
Pregnant at 12 after sexual assault, Hadley Duvall is fighting to make sure her fellow survivors have options
