Going Backwards
I believe in Reproductive Justice because
if women don’t fight to protect their rights who will. Look at the decision that Governor Rick Perry
has made for the women and girls of Texas.
The closing of clinics have left women no choice but to travel miles
away from home to seek care and for the women who don’t have the finances to
travel they may not seek care at all. This
has left the potential that many women and girls may try to take other measures
to end unwanted pregnancies. The clinics
that were closed performed more than abortions.
Some of the services that the women and girls received were mammograms,
contraceptives, pap smears and many more low cost services. What are taken away
are options for making choices that are “safe, affordable and accessible” (Ross). When it comes to women’s Reproductive Justice
you also have to take a look at the owners of Hobby Lobby who want to take away
part of women’s health care and not provide contraceptive. On the other hand
the company has investments in pharmaceutical companies that make the products
that aid in abortion. It’s kind of
ironic because they are saying we don’t want to pay to prevent you from getting
pregnant because it is against our religion but we will invest in the companies
that can help you abort the pregnancy. If
one right is given up who’s to say what the next one will be? You have to ask yourself if the rights that
women have been fighting so hard for are being stripped away?
Reproductive justice is important for women because just as Barbara pointed out women need to fight to protect their rights. Making it harder for women to have access to clinics is not the answer. It just leaves more room for women to put their lives in danger by taking action without medical help. These clinics offer options that can inform women, and keep them healthy. There is a bigger picture to this other than just abortions. As for the actions of specific companies such as Hobby Lobby it is interesting to see how they have contradicted themselves on such a large scale.
ReplyDeleteI was talking to Michelle Mitchell (director of the Rwanda documentary) on Tuesday and she told me that she was appalled at how we seemed to be backsliding on the front of women's rights and human rights as a whole. She talked about the powerful push for progress and individual rights in the 80s and all the ways that women seemed to be permanently creating a space for themselves to self-advocate in society; she then said that she was seeing more and more of these rights and markers of progress be retracted or forgotten as time passed. Personally, I believe above all things that a person deserves to have the ability to have resources and education about things that affect them (especially their own health and their own bodies), and that they have the right to make an informed decision regarding their future. My personal beliefs about right and wrong will dictate how I act with regard to my own body and my own decisions, but the only way I believe my morality should come into play when looking at resources and availability of options for other people is in my belief that the removal of basic human rights is absolutely wrong. My approval of choices other women make about their own selves is essentially irrelevant, and it's hard for me to understand why others— especially lawmakers (who are mostly men!!) don't seem to feel the same way. Honestly, it kind of terrifies me to see this kind of thing happening.
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