On March 23, Senator Ted Budd (R-NC) introduced the Stopping Traffickers and their Accomplices Act. The bill would require abortion workers to file a report with the National Human Trafficking Hotline if they have a reasonable suspicion to believe that a woman is a victim of human trafficking, and would require abortion providers to participate in an annual training to recognize the signs of trafficking and to certify they have taken steps to assist women who are being trafficked. It is cosponsored by 7 other Senators, including AAPLOG member Senator Roger Marshall, MD (R-KS). The bill is also supported by Concerned Women for America, Students for Life Action, Susan B. Anthony Pro-Life America, Heritage Action for America.
Proposed policies such as this one are a much-needed step towards ending the horrific exploitation of women around the country. Forced abortion is a tool that sex traffickers use to exert control over their victims, and to ensure that these womenās ability to continue working for them is not compromised by a pregnancy. A report by Lederer and Wetzel (2014) found that 55% of sex trafficking victims report having obtained at least one abortion, and 87% of them report having had contact with healthcare workers (such as abortion clinic workers) but gone unrecognized and unaided. Read AAPLOGās Committee Opinion 5 about abortion and sex trafficking for more information. If you are interested in making a positive difference in the lives of women impacted by human trafficking, we encourage you to check out Canopy Global Foundation. Canopy Global, founded and led by AAPLOG member Dr. Karysse Trandem, provides a variety of services aimed at (among other things) ending human trafficking.
