This teenager created a website that shows how difficult it is to get an abortion in each state
In the current political climate, it can be challenging to keep track of abortion policies by state. But one amazing high schooler decided to make this easier. How? By creating a website the compiles information on abortion services, state-by-state.
18-year-old Maddy Rasmussen developed the site as part of a school project while interning at Legal Voice, a feminist organization that advocates for women’s rights.
With so much confusing information floating around the internet, she wanted to simplify the process of finding an abortion clinic. The site, called the Safe Place Project, includes an interactive map that users can use to locate an abortion clinic near them.
It also includes information and restrictions by state, to inform people of any barriers to seeking the operation. It even has an “Escape to Google” button on the webpage that you can click at any time to maintain your privacy. That way, if you’re browsing at work or at home, you can quickly set your browser back to Google.
"I wanted my website to be free of bias and political jargon to make sure women would not be confused by language when searching for a clinic, Rasmussen told Teen Vogue.
She told Broadly that states like South Dakota have particularly murky rules, and she wanted to lay them out clearly.
"South Dakota has a really long waiting period, 72 hours. But none of the 72 hours will count if they fall on a weekend or a holiday. The state only has one clinic at this time, so it's extremely difficult to access abortion already. The regulations that are placed around abortion are just crazy, she said.
