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| David S. Cohen |
David S. Cohen and Carole Joffe are the authors of the new book Obstacle Course: The Everyday Struggle to Get an Abortion in America. Cohen is a professor of law at Drexel University. Joffe is a professor in the department of obstetrics, gynecology and reproductive sciences at the University of California, San Francisco.
Q: Why did the two of you decide to write this book?
A: We wanted to convey the reality of abortion access
in this country by focusing on the entire experience of getting an abortion --
from the moment someone finds out they’re pregnant to the actual procedure
itself. Every step along the way (which is how the book is organized), there
are unjustified barriers placed in people’s way.
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| Carole Joffe |
Putting all this information in one place to convey
the entire picture is important for people to understand abortion policy in
this country.
At the same time, we wanted to show how it is that
despite these obstacles almost one million patients per year are able to get an
abortion. It is through their determination as well as the ingenuity of
abortion providers that this happens, and we wanted to capture that as well.
Q: How did you choose the title "Obstacle
Course" for the book, and what does that signify for you?
A: The title reflects the lengthy set of barriers that
patients face when they try to get an abortion. Although for some rabid thrill
seekers obstacle courses are fun diversions, for most people, an obstacle
course is something standing in the way of getting to a goal.
For abortion patients in most states in this country,
that’s exactly what they encounter when they look at the set of barriers they
face in finding clinics, getting into clinics, paying for the procedure, being
required to wait, and having lies forced upon them by legislatures.
What should be a simple path from deciding to
terminate a pregnancy to getting this normal and safe form of medical care is
instead an obstacle course.
Q: How did you research the book, and did you learn
anything that especially surprised you?
A: We interviewed abortion providers, advocates, and
volunteers in all 50 states and the two major territories of Puerto Rico and
District of Columbia.
Our motivation to interview in all states, and not
just “red” ones, was to be able to show the readers what it looks like when
abortion care is allowed to proceed largely like any other health care service,
that is when Medicaid pays for poor women, and when there are no irrelevant and
cumbersome restrictions.
What especially surprised us was learning how much
help abortion patients (the majority of whom are low income) needed, beyond
paying for the procedure itself: just finding and getting to a clinic, arranging childcare for
children left behind, arranging lodging when overnight stays were involved, and
so on.
We were also surprised, and deeply moved, to learn about
the crucial role played by the vast army of allies (mostly unpaid volunteers)
who help with these needs, and who also provide essential escorting services at
the site of clinics themselves, where patients are often accosted by very
aggressive protestors.
Abortion care is dependent on these allies to a degree
not true of any other health care service.
Q: What do you see looking ahead when it comes to
abortion-related issues in the United States?
A: The future of abortion in the U.S. is unclear but
very worrisome. We will shortly hear the Supreme Court’s decision on a case
from Louisiana heard earlier this year, June v. Russo, that could further
restrict abortion services, or even possibly overturn Roe v. Wade.
We actually don’t think that the Court will overturn
Roe before the November election, but given the Court’s current composition,
this could well happen after the election.
But whether Roe is overturned or not, one take-away
from our book is that many people seeking abortions already live in a world in in
which abortion is legal but barely accessible in their state and they must
travel long distances to access abortion care.
Covid 19, of course, is making all the obstacles we
mention in our book exponentially harder: the loss of people’s income, the
dangers or travel, and the opportunistic closing of clinics by red state
governors are all affecting abortion care currently.
As always, however, abortion providers are rising to
the occasion and devising creative strategies to make abortion care as safe as
possible in this situation.
Q: What are you working on now?
A: Carole is embarking on a study that will document
how abortion providers are responding to the challenges presented by the
pandemic. David is considering new projects, including looking at the
importance of the Supreme Court following precedent, such as Roe v. Wade.
Q: Anything else we should know?
A: Probably not necessary to say to readers of this
blog, but if you care about reproductive rights and reproductive justice, you
have to vote!! And not just at the presidential level, but all the way down the
ballot to primaries and state and local races.
If one has any doubts that elections have
consequences, the 2018 elections produced women Democratic governors in
Michigan, Maine, and Kansas, and abortion has been protected from unnecessary
restrictions because of these elections. Even the most obscure local election
can determine whether zoning for a new clinic can take place.
Also, for readers who are able to, volunteering to
escort at your local clinic is incredibly valuable and donating to your local
abortion fund can make the difference between someone getting an abortion and
raising a child.
--Interview with Deborah Kalb
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