Immigration

When it comes to applying for benefits in the U.S., immigrants who have obtained citizenship recently have to wait five years before becoming eligible for state health programs like Medicaid; those of us who are undocumented are only provided “emergency” care coverage at no cost, and we can’t purchase private health insurance plans. Undocumented people make up approximately 3.2% of the U.S. population, which means millions of people are currently without any financial support when it comes to abortion costs should they need it. Undocumented people can also seek low-cost or free reproductive healthcare (like contraception and some prenatal care) from some healthcare providers participating in the federal Title X grant program, but there are still so many logistical barriers to care. Some immigrants may choose to self-manage their abortions, which is usually medically safe, but legally risky. None of this absolves our government from the responsibility of creating legislation that protects all of its people, including those of us who are undocumented.

Accessing abortions as an undocumented person is challenging logistically in addition to legally. In order to have an abortion in the U.S., some clinics are required to obtain certain documentation related to your identity. For those of us seeking refuge, asylum, or to live within the U.S., having access to the necessary documentation, like a state ID or driver’s license, required by clinics can be an additional barrier, especially if we didn’t have time to gather things like personal and government identification before we left our countries of origin, documents were lost or stolen, or states and cities refuse to allow undocumented people to get documentation. It can also feel stigmatizing and risky to access healthcare as an undocumented person in the U.S. even though healthcare providers have no legal obligation to report someone’s immigration status, nor are physicians able to deny someone medical care over their citizenship. Government anti-immigration authorities like ICE and Border Patrol have been known to wait outside of reproductive health clinics to arrest undocumented people when they go to clinics for checkups, birth control, and abortions. These anti-immigration authorities are also horrific places for people who want to continue their pregnancies. In several immigration jails, doctors have performed hysterectomies on detained people, without their consent, leaving them unable to have children. Other immigrant women have shared that they cried out for support and medical help during their pregnancy and were refused care and later had miscarriages.