Are women in America afraid of giving birth to children? After abortion, now the issue of IVF has come up in the elections
Presidential elections are to be held in America on November 5, and the election campaign for the White House race has intensified. Candidates are making one promise after another to strengthen their hold on the pulse of the public. In this series, Republican Party candidate Donald Trump has played the gamble of free IVF treatment.
The issue of abortion has dominated the US presidential election, it has been considered a major issue among women since the Supreme Court banned the law allowing abortion in June 2022. At the same time, Trump's promise of free IVF treatment is raising questions about whether this issue is so big in America that it can turn the election tables.
According to reports, a single round of IVF treatment in America costs around 10 thousand dollars (about 8 lakh rupees). Some women sometimes need more than one round of treatment under IVF. This means that this is a very expensive treatment for couples who want a child.
According to the Pew Research Survey of 2023, about 42 percent of American adults say that they or their acquaintances have taken IVF treatment. If we look at these figures based on income, then this figure is 29 percent in the lower income group, 45 percent in the middle class, and 59 percent in the upper class i.e. the rich. At the same time, about 60 percent of the US population believes that the cost of IVF treatment should be covered by health insurance. That is, this election promise of Trump can directly target a large section.
According to the US Health and Human Services, about 9 percent of married women between 15 and 49 years of age in America face infertility for some reason or another. Due to this one in every 8 women has had to resort to IVF treatment at least once in her life. Apart from this, out of the total children born in America in the year 2021, about 2.3% of children (86, 146 children) were born through IVF. These figures show that a large population in America resorts to IVF treatment to expand the family.
A bet to woo women voters!
In fact, according to the latest survey among American women, Kamala Harris has a 10-point lead over Trump, while in the New York Times national survey, Harris's lead is 3 points. According to media reports, Kamala Harris is quite popular among black and women voters. Kamala Harris, who supports the right to abortion, is getting a lot of support from women.
To gain access to these female voters, Trump has made a big promise regarding IVF treatment. He has said that if he becomes the President, the government will bear the entire cost of IVF treatment or the insurance companies will be forced to pay for it. A huge amount has to be spent on IVF treatment in America, so Trump's promise can affect a large population.
Is there any connection between the issue of abortion and IVF?
Although abortion has no direct connection with IVF, if seen in the context of America, it can be connected to a great extent. The need for IVF arises due to the problem of infertility, and there can be many reasons for infertility. One of these reasons can be not conceiving till a certain time. Most doctors advise married women to conceive before the age of 30 so that women do not have to face the problems that come with increasing age. On the other hand, the risk of infertility is higher in women above 35 years of age. Apart from this, many factors like diet, smoking, and alcohol can be behind it. Infertility can occur not only in women but also in men, so no one particular reason can be held responsible for it.
Major reasons for abortion in America
In the US, a total of 6,20,327 abortions were performed in 2020, of which 93% were performed at 13 weeks of pregnancy (first 3 months). According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the decision not to continue a pregnancy is a very personal decision of a woman. Sometimes there can be more than one reason behind this.
According to a study by the CDC, 40 percent of people want abortion due to financial reasons. Whereas 36 percent of people say that they are not emotionally and financially ready for a child, so they decided to have an abortion. Many of these people also believe that they are not old enough to have children. Apart from this, 31 percent of people have cited their partner's behavior or the relationship not being stable as the reason behind abortion. Apart from this, there can be many other reasons and compulsions behind abortion.
What is the law regarding abortion in America?
In 1973, in America's famous Roe vs Wade case, the Supreme Court gave women the legal right to abortion. According to this law, women could have an abortion in the first 3 months of pregnancy. Abortion could be banned in the next 3 months, while abortion in the last 3 months of pregnancy was completely banned.
But in June 2022, the Supreme Court overturned this decision and brought the law related to abortion under the jurisdiction of the states. This banned abortion in many states of America, in some states abortion is prohibited even at 6 weeks of pregnancy, while many times women are not even able to know about the pregnancy in 6 weeks.