More than half of US Black women aged 15-49 live under abortion bans – report

More than half of Black women in the US who are of reproductive age live in states with abortion bans or restrictions, according to a new report.

The study, by the National Partnership for Women & Families (NPWF) and the non-profit In Our Own Voice, shows the stark impact of overturning Roe v Wade on Black women, NBC News reported.

More than 6.7 million Black women – nearly 57% of Black women in the US between the ages of 15 and 49 – live in the 26 states that have restricted or banned abortion since Roe was overturned in June 2022.

According to polling from Our Own Voice, Black women living in states with recent abortion bans or restrictions reported thinking about not having children, relocating to states with fewer restrictions, and other concerns.

A majority of Black mothers also live in states with abortion bans or restrictions, the study found. Previous research has found that mothers unable to access abortion care experienced increased financial challenges for themselves and their children.

The study also found that 2.7 million Black women who live in states that restrict abortion are “economically insecure”, making them more likely to lack financial resources to travel to receive abortion care.

Seventy per cent of Black women who are uninsured and 49.8% who use Medicaid as their primary insurance also live in states with abortion restrictions or bans, which can impede access to abortion services.

Jocelyn Frye, president of the NPWF, told NBC that understanding the concerns of Black women can help address barriers to care facing other demographics of women.

“When you look at the experiences of Black women, you can address a lot of different barriers that women face, whether it’s from race, gender – there are also women with disabilities,” Frye said. “Black women are often the bellwether of how well things are working. So when we fix things for Black women, we fix them for a lot of people.”

The report also shows the intersection between abortion restrictions and states with higher maternal mortality rates, a health crisis disproportionately affecting Black women. According to the study, 17 of the 26 states that have restricted abortion access also have above-average maternal mortality rates.

The report comes as Black women increasingly say abortion access is their top voting issue ahead of the 2024 presidential election.

A March poll from KFF, a health policy research organization, found that 28% of Black women voters said abortion was the most important issue to their vote in 2024, the Associated Press reported.

The Our Own Voice report also found that the majority of Black adults support reproductive rights and access, with 77% of those polled saying they believe abortion should be legal in all or most cases.