One in four: How abortion access shapes America
The fight for abortion rights has played out across multiple elections since Roe v. Wade was overturned in 2022. As Election Day approaches, Americans are deciding whether to expand access to reproductive care — or create lasting, and potentially fatal, consequences for people in need. This series documents the personal stories of people whose lives have been impacted, in a myriad of ways, by abortions and reproductive care they received or provided — and, in some cases, the care they were unable to access.
Hajime White
I don’t want anyone to experience the kind of teen pregnancy I had. That’s why I became a doula.
No educational books, pamphlets or doctor’s office literature could have prepared me for the trauma that would stay with me for the rest of my life.
Sen. Eva Burch
I’m an elected official who had an abortion. I’ve witnessed how much the GOP distrusts women.
My abortion took place less than three weeks before the ultra-conservative Arizona Supreme Court upheld a near-complete abortion ban that dates back to 1864.
Sarah Elaine Harrison
American women need to spread this message: Abortions are normal
If abortion care had been as normalized as any other health care, efforts to overturn Roe v. Wade might have faced greater resistance.
Dr. Nikki Zite
I've spent years working as an OB-GYN in Tennessee. These abortion stories still stick with me.
Shortly after the Dobbs decision, I got a call from a longtime patient telling me that her 16-year-old daughter had gotten pregnant and that she had taken her to North Carolina for an abortion.
Dr. Kavita Patel
Kaitlyn Kash crossed state lines and skipped anesthesia to get the abortion she needed
Texas' abortion ban creates significant barriers for both patients and providers, who risk severe consequences for offering, or in some cases even discussing, abortion services.
DANIELLE CAMPOAMOR
What life is like when it's too dangerous to get prenatal care in your home state
I knew moving to a rural South Dakota town with a high risk pregnancy would be complicated. But no one could have prepared me for all the challenges.
