Post-Roe, Native Americans face even more abortion hurdles

By LAURA UNGAR and HEATHER HOLLINGSWORTH
Associated Press

Getting an abortion has long been extremely difficult for Native Americans and has become even tougher since the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade. New, restrictive state laws add to a series of existing hurdles. There’s a decades-old ban on most abortions at clinics and hospitals run by the Indian Health Service. Also, fewer other nearby health centers offer abortions. Among the seven states with the highest proportion of Native residents, four have moved or are poised to further restrict abortion. South Dakota and Oklahoma ban abortion with few exceptions. Many advocates worry that reduced abortion access will make things worse for women already facing maternal death rates twice as high as their white peers and teen birth rates more than twice as high as whites.