Reproductive Justice: A Fundamental of Gender, Race, and Socio-Economic Equity
With the overturning of Roe vs. Wade, we lost the federal standard that protects the right to abortion. Since then, each of the fifty states have been independently scrambling to establish laws to protect abortion or ban it. It is projected that half will make it illegal to have an abortion.
Understanding the consequences that will arise from this legislation is essential to protecting your reproductive rights and protecting those close to you. Reproductive justice is an integral part of not only gender equity, but racial and socio-economic equity as well. According to the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, “Ensuring access to these [reproductive] services in accordance with human rights standards is part of State obligations to eliminate discrimination against women and to ensure women’s right to health as well as other fundamental human rights.” This association is key to knowing ~what should be~ your reproductive rights.
There are an estimated 25 million unsafe abortions each year which contribute to 7.9% of maternal deaths. With abortions projected to be outlawed in state after state, this percentage is expected to rise as women seek unsafe methods of abortion that could potentially put their health, and even life, at risk. This desperation has numerous causes. For example, becoming pregnant at a young age, when pregnancy is a health risk, being impoverished (thus having the financial inability to care for a child), familial circumstances, potential medical complications that could arise from certain conditions, or a history of miscarage, preterm labor, or cesarean delivery, and countless other personal reasons that play a large role in what should be a choice.
Ultimately, for a significant number of women, pregnancy is dangerous and could lead to their decline in health, or even death; thus, outlawing abortion in some states will force some of these women to endure torture for themselves and their child. There are two safe solutions to this: (1) traveling to where abortion is legal, or (2) obtaining abortion pills, such as mifepristone, which can be used up to ten weeks into the pregnancy. While these are possible options for some, not everyone will be able to access these solutions.
Denying access to an essential health service is not only gender based discrimination, but racial and socio-economic discrimination. The proportion of low-income minority women versus high-income white women to suffer the consequences of abortion being outlawed comes down to who can afford transportation, time off, and housing, to get to a state where it is legal, or who can access and afford abortion pills.
This inequity between the socio-economically disadvantaged and the socio-economically advantaged crosses over to education as well. Arizona, Mississippi, Texas, Florida, and Arkansas are five of the ten states that have the highest rates of teen pregnancy. These five states also do not mandate sex education in schools. In these states, young girls, particularly those who have lower socio-economic status, are more likely to have less access to sexual health knowledge, and thus fewer options on how to remedy the event of pregnancy. It is known that babies born to adolescent mothers are more at risk to low birth weight, having to be delivered preterm, and of severe neonatal conditions. Inadequate access to sexual education sets teens up for pregnancies with higher rates of medical complications, putting not only their lives at risk, but also their newborns.
Just as we consider a heart procedure or a transplant a medical procedure, an aboriton is a medical procedure — one that can save a life. The outlawing of aboriton in some states has taken away this right not only in a literal sense, but in a practical sense, as having a child is a momentous step and requires emotional and financial resources.
In the event a woman becomes a mother, not by choice, but because of a geographical inconvenience where it is outlawed in her state, there lie a slew of obstacles that she will be subjected to simply because she is a woman. Some may argue that she can remedy her situation by putting her child up for adoption or having a family member take guardianship; however, not everyone has a family member who could assume this responsibility, and not everyone is comfortable with adoption or has the option, especially when they are an adolescent. In the event that a woman, or girl, becomes a mother, there are sacrifices to be made beyond what we assume.
Just as pregnancy itself was socially constructed as a “woman’s issue” so is the role of “caretaker.” You may have heard the term “second shift.” This is when a woman finishes her first shift at her place of work and returns home, only to start her second shift which consists of caring for her children, her husband, and the maintenance of the household itself. Of course, with the responsibility of a child, some women opt to find a babysitter and someone to clean their house; however, that is not a financially viable option for all mothers and thus others choose to give up their formal jobs to become full time mothers. While motherhood is in no way a condemnation for all mothers, for some it means a loss of independence, because with having a child, they must give up their careers and rely on their husband or other family members financially. This loss of independence is a loss of individual potential once they step off the path towards their professional goals.
While a grim subject to discuss, understanding the consequences of losing our right to having an abortion will hopefully encourage awareness, education, and support among those with reproductive capabilities. This article is by no means a condemnation of the state of pregnancy as a whole as it is a blessing for anyone intending to extend their family. However, everyone’s circumstance is unique and complex and must be met with understanding, respect, and compassion.
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