While researching a post on the 40th anniversary of Roe v Wade (stay tuned for that one), I came across this handy graphing tool on the Guttmacher Institute website. I can’t get it to work on my blog hosting platform (hint, hint, WordPress!). Plug in your state, and you will find the latest numbers on the abortion rate and number of providers in your state. Nevada had 13 providers as of 2008, according to Guttmacher. While much as been made of the chance that Mississippi’s sole abortion provider might get shut down, many states are not doing much better. (According to Wikipedia, North Dakota only has one provider, too.)

Depending on where you live, your income, your education level, and perhaps even the color of your skin, there’s not much “choice” in abortion these days. No wonder Planned Parenthood is dropping the term “pro-choice.”

It seems 40 years in, and there’s still no promise of safe, affordable access to reproductive health care for women. What a disservice to the sacrifices of all those who have fought to keep access safe and legal. But more than that, we deserve better.