Low-income women face roadblocks created by Medicaid's 'tube-tying' polices

Tubal ligation - commonly referred to as having one's "tubes tied" - is widely used to prevent unintended pregnancies. However, current Medicaid policies create roadblocks for low-income women trying to obtain the procedure, according to a review written by researchers at Princeton University's Woodrow Wilson School and other U.S. institutions. Under a Medicaid rule enacted in 1978, women must currently wait 30 days after signing a written consent form to obtain a tubal ligation.