What is the abortion waiting period and why is it important?

An abortion is a very huge step that affects a woman mentally as well as physically. A woman must be one hundred percent sure while making such a decision. However, the United States has introduced a time period which is known as an 'Abortion Waiting Period'.  

An abortion waiting period is a law wherein a woman is required to wait for a certain period of time, 24 or 48 hours, between the time they make the decision to have an abortion and the time they can actually have the procedure. The main aim of the waiting period is to give women time to think about their decisions and to discourage them from having an abortion. 

There are plenty of U.S. states which have made the counseling and waiting period before an abortion a necessary step. These laws make sure that women are certain about their decision of abortion. According to the National Library of Medicine, there are 27 states in the U.S. that ask women seeking an abortion to wait 18–72 hours after mandated counseling before the procedure takes place. On the other hand, there are 14 states that make it mandatory for women to take in-person counseling, creating a two-visit minimum to obtain care.

Meanwhile, various studies of necessary waiting periods, as well as two-visit requirement restrictions, have found that they can have negative consequences, such as delaying access to care and increasing costs. Hence, this is one such topic which always remains a controversial issue. 

Although legal challenges to the constitutionality of abortion waiting periods have been made, these laws have generally been upheld. However, the Supreme Court has ruled that waiting periods for women who have been the victims of rape or incest must be waived by states. Further, the U.S. Supreme Court reversed the 1973 Roe v. Wade decision, which had established a constitutional right to abortion in late June.