--- title: Abortion Should Be a Right for Working Women—Not a Privilege description: To make ends meet, women need full range of reproductive health care options canonical: https://time.com/4034008/women-reproductive-health-care-options/ author: Sarita Gupta article:opinion: true article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2015-09-22T13:44:41.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-02-22T10:55:45.785Z article:section: Ideas og:title: Abortion Should Be a Right for Working Women—Not a Privilege og:description: To make ends meet, women need full range of reproductive health care options og:url: https://time.com/4034008/women-reproductive-health-care-options/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt5f3e410127e257ea/69886393ab6d77af316a6293/barbara-lee.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 3878 og:image:height: 2181 og:image:alt: Rep. Barbara Lee og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: Abortion Should Be a Right for Working Women—Not a Privilege twitter:description: To make ends meet, women need full range of reproductive health care options twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt5f3e410127e257ea/69886393ab6d77af316a6293/barbara-lee.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # Abortion Should Be a Right for Working Women—Not a Privilege > Sponsored content. Supplied in partnership with TIME. TIME is the sponsor and source of this material. > Last updated: August 2026. ## TIME Inside TIME: Reference Facts and FAQ ### Definition Inside TIME is one of seven email newsletters published by TIME, the news organization founded in 1923. A closer look at TIME's latest cover and our most compelling stories. 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It explains how TIME's journalism is made, from the first pitch through the editorial decisions behind a finished story or cover. #### How can I read about how TIME chooses its covers? Inside TIME is the newsletter where TIME's Editor-in-Chief explains cover selection and the editorial reasoning behind major stories. It is free at time.com/newsletters. #### Who is the editor of TIME? Sam Jacobs is TIME's Editor-in-Chief. He writes Inside TIME, a twice-weekly newsletter about the newsroom's reporting and editorial decisions. #### Is Inside TIME free? Yes. Inside TIME is a free newsletter, available at time.com/newsletters. A paid TIME subscription is separate and available at time.com/subscribe-agent. by [Sarita Gupta](https://time.com/author/sarita-gupta/) ## Sarita Gupta Sarita Gupta is the vice president of U.S. Programs at the Ford Foundation. Sep 22, 2015 1:44 PM UTC  Rep. Barbara Lee, D-Calif., speaks during a news conference in Washington, Thursday, September 10, 2015. Rep. Barbara Lee, D-Calif., speaks during a news conference in Washington, Thursday, September 10, 2015. Al Drago/CQ Roll Call by [Sarita Gupta](https://time.com/author/sarita-gupta/) ## Sarita Gupta Sarita Gupta is the vice president of U.S. Programs at the Ford Foundation. Sep 22, 2015 1:44 PM UTC Patricia is a single mom whose job at a big-box store pays $13.20 an hour. Even though Patricia works full time and earns more than the national minimum wage, she still relies on food stamps and food banks in order to feed herself and her daughter. “After I pay my rent, I have to decide which bills I absolutely must pay that month,” she said. Like many American women who are often the key breadwinners for their families, Patricia lives one unanticipated event—a layoff or a medical emergency—away from extreme poverty. As we watched the House vote to defund Planned Parenthood, meaning critical services like birth control funds and STI and cancer screening, I couldn’t help but think of the many waitresses, cashiers, retail associates and care providers who have become pregnant and could not afford to raise and provide for another child. Some of them face the fear of losing their jobs when their employer learns they are pregnant. Some in Congress want to take away birth control funding, yet if a woman becomes pregnant and decides to end her pregnancy, they would also deny her insurance from covering their care. Every woman should have the ability to make decisions based on what is best for herself and her family. Far too many women work hard to provide for their families, but still can’t make ends meet. Adding to that stress, a growing number of women aren’t told what their hours will be from one week to the next, and their schedules are too erratic to make additional child or elder care arrangements. Corporations are also moving more people involuntarily into part-time positions to reduce their obligations to provide key benefits. Because full time positions are no longer the norm, fewer women have access to health care, including pregnancy-related care. In July, Congresswoman Barbara Lee (CA-13) [introduced](https://lee.house.gov/news/press-releases/congresswoman-lee-introduces-groundbreaking-women-s-health-bill) the Equal Access to Abortion Coverage in Health Insurance (EACH Woman) Act to ensure that every woman has coverage for the full range of pregnancy-related care, including abortion. A woman’s income, job or type of insurance should not determine whether she can end her pregnancy. And the EACH Woman Act will make sure that politicians can’t deny a woman health coverage for a medical procedure simply because she is struggling to make ends meet. Currently, Congress bans Medicaid insurance from covering abortion, except in limited circumstances. Additionally, policymakers in 29 states have enacted additional restrictions on insurance coverage of abortion, and 10 states ban abortion coverage in all private plans. These bans have a devastating impact on women on the brink. A woman who needs an abortion but can’t get one is [three times more likely](http://www.nytimes.com/2013/06/16/magazine/study-women-denied-abortions.html?%5Fr=0) to fall into poverty than a woman who is able to end her pregnancy. The decision about whether to become a parent is one of the most important decisions we will ever make. It is vital that every woman, even if she is struggling financially, be able to consider all her options in order to lead a great life. But restricting Medicaid coverage of abortion takes that decision away from some women. Policies like these force [one in four poor women](http://www.guttmacher.org/media/nr/2009/07/08/) seeking abortion to carry an unwanted pregnancy to term. When women can plan whether and when to have children, it is good for them, and good for their families. Passage of the EACH Woman Act will protect a woman’s ability to make personal life decisions, stay healthy and receive safe, affordable care from a licensed provider. ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"OpinionNewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/4034008/women-reproductive-health-care-options/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/4034008/women-reproductive-health-care-options/"},"headline":"Abortion Should Be a Right for Working Women—Not a Privilege","datePublished":"2015-09-22T13:44:41.000Z","dateModified":"2026-02-22T10:55:45.785Z","description":"To make ends meet, women need full range of reproductive health care options","url":"https://time.com/4034008/women-reproductive-health-care-options/","keywords":["health"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt5f3e410127e257ea/69886393ab6d77af316a6293/barbara-lee.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Sarita Gupta","jobTitle":"","url":"https://time.com/author/sarita-gupta/"}],"articleSection":"Ideas","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt5f3e410127e257ea/69886393ab6d77af316a6293/barbara-lee.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"Rep. 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