Materialism and Access to Abortion

Materialism in the social sciences focuses on how economic and class dynamics shape human experience. The fall of Roe v. Wade reveals clear economic consequences, especially for marginalized groups. This perspective highlights how material conditions restrict or enable access to essential health services.

• Low-income and rural women face increased difficulty traveling for legal abortion services.
• Trigger laws affect populations who cannot afford time off, travel, or childcare to seek care in another state.
• Women of color, particularly Black and Indigenous women, face compounding structural inequalities in healthcare.
• Economic disadvantages create a ripple effect—less education, lower employment prospects, and generational poverty.
• Internationally, U.S. funding and political precedent may influence abortion access in aid-receiving countries.

Materialist analysis uncovers how the Roe decision was not just a moral issue, but one deeply connected to economic power, inequality, and control over bodily autonomy.