Pennsylvania mother who gave daughter abortion pill gets prison(title edited)

[Trumplestiltskin 5,791]

Well I don't think abortion is covered under any healthcare plan. Well, at least not this type. Is it anywhere?

If it's not covered by a health-plan, then I'd say it's even more obvious why someone would do this.

[GandD 5,966]

If it's not covered by a health-plan, then I'd say it's even more obvious why someone would do this.

If it's not covered by any health plan, then the price should reflect that. I don't know how much they cost though. I would assume it's in the reach of the middle class.

[Janelle2002 3,865]

If it's not covered by a health-plan, then I'd say it's even more obvious why someone would do this.

Yeap! If it is something that needs to be performed by a doctor it should.

[GandD 5,966]

Chiropractors are "doctors".

[Trumplestiltskin 5,791]

If it's not covered by any health plan, then the price should reflect that. I don't know how much they cost though. I would assume it's in the reach of the middle class.

Found this.

$350 - $500 is a lot of money for someone on a low-middle income.

The Cost of Abortion

The exact cost of an abortion depends on many factors, such as how far along the pregnancy is, the kind of procedure and anesthetic that are used, and the kind of facility (clinic, physician's office, or hospital).

In general, though, women getting an abortion between six and ten weeks' gestation can expect to pay about $350 at an abortion clinic and $500 at a physician's office. Providing abortions later in pregnancy is somewhat more complicated, and is usually more expensive. For example, at 16 weeks gestation, abortion clinics generally charge around $650 and physicians' offices generally charge around $700. After the 20th week, the cost rises to above $1,000.²

Other costs might result if care is not available locally. These might include travel costs, costs for overnight stays, or lost wages in states requiring waiting periods between pre-abortion counseling and the abortion itself.

The Economics for Women and Their Families

Paying for abortion is not usually a problem for middle- and upper-income women, because the majority of private medical insurance plans and HMO organizations currently cover abortion services. However, the availability of abortion funding for low-income women is controlled by elected government officials. Since 1978, Congress has imposed a restriction on the use of federal money to cover abortion. This restriction, known as the Hyde Amendment, forbids federal funding of abortions except in cases of rape, incest, or when a woman's life is endangered. The restrictions apply to Medicaid, the government program that pays for medical care for many low-income families, as well as other federally funded medical programs such as those for Native American women, military personnel and their dependents, and Peace Corps volunteers. Only 23 states use their own funds to cover abortion services beyond the Hyde Amendment's restrictions. Learn more about public funding for abortion

[OnMyWayID 1,489]

If it's not covered by any health plan, then the price should reflect that. I don't know how much they cost though. I would assume it's in the reach of the middle class.

They average just shy of $500 dollars. Credit cards accepted.

[Curmudgeon 227]

But how do you pick a good doctor that cares and is not out to take your money?

Hey, herbal things work. I have seen it with my own eyes. Spend some time in South Asia. I have seen cured urinary tract infections, sprained ankles and constipation taken care of without prescribed drugs. Some mixed up leaves from some trees and little heat treatment was all it took.

They all take the Hippocratic oath in order to qualify so all doctors are basically qualified to treat you, whether they care about you personally or not. As to herbal medicines, of course, many prescription medicines started out life as herbal concoctions and for minor ailments the original recipes are probably equally good if you get a qualified person to prepare it but for most people most of the time the modern equivalents are better because you know the exact dosage of the active ingredient that you are taking. When it's in 'herbal' form the dosage can vary massively. There is no conspiracy by Doctors or other health professionals to keep you from getting better and there are no 'magic' pills that doctors are hiding from you.

[GandD 5,966]

For a "medical procedure" that's dirt cheap. I expected it to be in the thousands.

Do you have to be a real doctor to perform an abortion?

Edited September 7, 2014 by GandD

[Trumplestiltskin 5,791]

For a "medical procedure" that's dirt cheap. I expected it to be in the thousands.

It's relative isn't it. $500 can be a lot of money to find if you're on a low income.

Believe it or not there really are people out there that have to choose between paying their rent and getting medical treatment.

[Curmudgeon 227]

Everyone knows we are talking about abortions.. If I take the time to debate fetus/baby/etc/etc that is all the debate would be so I just use their language "killin' babies" and we can continue without the whole when does life start rehash redo.. Alas I was one post shy of being right - somebody always finds a way to be offended.

..and I never said I agreed with what the girls mother did, depending on where she was in the pregnancy a doctor should have been involved.. What I said was that it serves no purpose to lock her up for any period of time.

One more thing since you commented on it: When it comes to abortions there are all sorts of laws put into place in the guise of "safety" that are in fact designed to make it more difficult to obtain them or perform the procedure.

There are indeed an increasing number of laws being put in place to make abortions more difficult and they are being put in place by people who would greatly prefer women do not have access to abortions, period but this is not one of them. I didn't accuse you of anything, I was merely pointing out that this law is not about whether or not abortion is legal so the argument as to whether or not abortion should be legal is completely and utterly irrelevant and somewhat of a distraction if the interest is in whether or not this mother should have undergone legal process.

My belief is that in the terms of the law and why it was framed it was absolutely right to prosecute her, and they were probably rather more lenient than they might have been because of the circumstances that led her to break the law, which is right and as it should be but to not prosecute or not have these laws would be utter foolishness and lead to a lot of unwanted consequences.

[Curmudgeon 227]

It's relative isn't it. $500 can be a lot of money to find if you're on a low income.

Believe it or not there really are people out there that have to choose between paying their rent and getting medical treatment.

If I read the article correctly, the cost of the abortion was only part of the problem, there were also geographical and logistical issues to deal with, as well as the emotional state of the child. The mother's intent was caring and understandable, but it was in practice a foolish undertaking and one that does need to be addressed in order to try to stop other people from making the same mistakes. I am sure there are organisations that could have been turned to that help people in this situation and that would have been the best course of action, not putting her daughter at risk of great harm by using drugs that she knew nothing about without medical supervision.

[Trumplestiltskin 5,791]

If I read the article correctly, the cost of the abortion was only part of the problem, there were also geographical and logistical issues to deal with, as well as the emotional state of the child. The mother's intent was caring and understandable, but it was in practice a foolish undertaking and one that does need to be addressed in order to try to stop other people from making the same mistakes. I am sure there are organisations that could have been turned to that help people in this situation and that would have been the best course of action, not putting her daughter at risk of great harm by using drugs that she knew nothing about without medical supervision.

Oh I totally agree - what the mother did was certainly ill-advised to say the least.

I'm not sure it's something that she should be jailed for, seems to me that there should be more of a push to make it illegal to buy prescription medications over the internet. The obvious question being - how do you know what you are buying?

[GandD 5,966]

It's relative isn't it. $500 can be a lot of money to find if you're on a low income.

Believe it or not there really are people out there that have to choose between paying their rent and getting medical treatment.

Well abortion is an elective thing in this example. The person running the clinic is entitled to a profit. I've said many times though, as a tax payer, I'd rather my taxes go towards an aborted child than a perpetual burden of the state as a result of absent parenting of an unwanted child. BUT, my family was in a similar situation. My sis got pregnant in highschool and it was a big embarrassment. We're catholic, so abortion was not an option. And I'm glad, we figured it out and all pitched it to help raise the kid. My sister missed out on the typical college experience, but stuff happens. 20 years later we have a smart, well behaved young adult in college. Luckily we were able to provide the support he needed.

[Trumplestiltskin 5,791]

Well abortion is an elective thing in this example. The person running the clinic is entitled to a profit. I've said many times though, as a tax payer, I'd rather my taxes go towards an aborted child than a perpetual burden of the state as a result of absent parenting of an unwanted child. BUT, my family was in a similar situation. My sis got pregnant in highschool and it was a big embarrassment. We're catholic, so abortion was not an option. And I'm glad, we figured it out and all pitched it to help raise the kid. My sister missed out on the typical college experience, but stuff happens. 20 years later we have a smart, well behaved young adult in college. Luckily we were able to provide the support he needed.

Sure. That's why I don't understand why abortion is such a controversial issue.

As someone who is pro-choice I believe that women should have the choice to control when and if they have children. That doesn't mean that everyone should have an abortion, rely on abortion as a form of birth control, or even that abortion is always the best choice - many times I am sure it is not. In that respect, the situation you describe in your own family is pretty common.

Abortion isn't a black and white issue - it's not a failure to take responsibility or a reflection on someone's morals. Of course it's easier to demonise people by pretending that it is.

The issue for me is only that women have the right to choose, can have the procedure performed safely and that they access to advice and counselling to make an informed decision.

Edited September 7, 2014 by Hail Ming!

[Curmudgeon 227]

Oh I totally agree - what the mother did was certainly ill-advised to say the least.

I'm not sure it's something that she should be jailed for, seems to me that there should be more of a push to make it illegal to buy prescription medications over the internet. The obvious question being - how do you know what you are buying?

I doubt the law was framed with this particular type of case in mind, it was probably intended to be used to stop back street abortion clinics and as such the sentencing parameters available to the judge may have been such that some jail time had to be incurred - but I am only guessing on that.