Citation

Foster AM, Arnott G, Parniak S, LaRoche KJ, Trussell J. Am. J. Public Health 2015; 105(1): 41-48.

Affiliation

Angel M. Foster is with the Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, Ontario, and Cambridge Reproductive Health Consultants, MA. Grady Arnott and Kathryn J. LaRoche are with the Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Ottawa. Simone Parniak is with the Faculty of Social Sciences, University of Ottawa. James Trussell is with the Office of Population Research, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2015, American Public Health Association)

DOI

10.2105/AJPH.2014.302358

PMID

25494207

Abstract

Since 1979, US federal appropriations bills have prohibited the use of federal funds from covering abortion care for Peace Corps volunteers. There are no exceptions; unlike other groups that receive health care through US federal funding streams, including Medicaid recipients, federal employees, and women in federal prisons, abortion care is not covered for volunteers even in cases of life endangerment, rape, or incest. We interviewed 433 returned Peace Corps volunteers to document opinions of, perceptions about, and experiences with obtaining abortion care. Our results regarding the abortion experiences of Peace Corps volunteers, especially those who were raped, bear witness to a profound inequity and show that the time has come to lift the "no exceptions" funding ban on abortion coverage.

Language: en