The Reproductive Justice Battle 2014
Even though 2013 was a rough year with 22 states adopting 70 different restrictions, here are some heroes that rallied to the cause. Let's also not forget all of the individual activists that shared rides, rooms, helped feed each other, find childcare for each other, and even risked arrest and personal injury to let their voices be heard.
What will 2014 look like for reproductive rights? In Texas, the year hasn't gotten off to a very good start.
"After lawyers for the Center for Reproductive Rights argued that the new law has left the impoverished Rio Grande Valley without any available providers, forcing women who live there to make an 300-mile round trip to Corpus Christi to get to the nearest clinic, Judge Edith Jones scoffed. “Do you know how long that takes in Texas at 75 miles an hour?” she asked. “This is a peculiarly flat and not congested highway.”
Ma’am, I went to college in Corpus Christi and can tell you exactly how long it takes to make that trip if you do not have a car or can only afford a car built in the 80's that is held together with duct tape! It's obvious to me that Jones has zero concept of what life is like outside her little world.
There's also the Hobby Lobby case. We are all waiting to see if corporations really are “people” and if we can have access to contraception per our legal right under ACA.
Despite the current setbacks, there is some good news.
“I think we’re going to sort of hit our stride in 2014,” Hogue told ThinkProgress. “In 2014, we’re going to see a lot more offensive legislation. We’re going to start to see states really experiment with what policy packages look like that actually support women at all stages of their reproductive life, and we’re going to demand what we need to be thriving, equal members of American society.”
Austin City Council members have started the year off right:
Three city council members in Austin, Texas have urged the U.S. Congress to immediately pass the federal Women Health Protection Act-an historic piece of legislation introduced in November 2013 and designed to enforce and protect the rights of every woman to decide for herself whether to continue or end a pregnancy, regardless of where she lives. In a letter sent today to members of Congress and the Texas State Legislature, Council Member Bill Spelman, Mayor Pro Tem Sheryl Cole, and Council Member Laura Morrison also call for the repeal of House Bill 2....
There is some data to show that Texas could initiate a new kind of Sexual Education program called “Abstinence-Plus”.
These programs include medically-accurate information about contraception, including different methods and effectiveness...While a 2007-2008 report by the Texas Freedom Network found only 3.6 percent of Texas school districts offered an abstinence-plus program, two years later the number had jumped to over 25 percent....80 percent of surveyed parents from Bexar County (which includes portions of the San Antonio ISD), favored an abstinence-plus curriculum....Interestingly, data surveyed from across North America in a 2007 PLOS | Medicine report found abstinence-plus as having positive effects by “promoting sexual abstinence … and preventing HIV, but also encourage condom use and other safer-sex practices … this suggests that abstinence-plus approaches do not undermine program messages encouraging abstinence, nor do they undermine program messages encouraging safer sex.”
Well, that's a baby-step in the right direction. I'll take it!
There's also plenty of data to show that politicians completely disregarded any scientific evidence when making long-term judgments about abortion access, and many citizens want reproductive insurance coverage.
Maybe the best news of all is that Texans will have new, diverse, and more representative choices this election season.
If Davis and fellow state Sen. Leticia Van de Putte, who is running for lieutenant governor, prevail in their March primaries as expected, they'll form what political experts say is only the fifth time in at least the past 20 years that a party has nominated women for both governor and lieutenant governor.
What can you do right now to make a difference? TAKE ACTON!
Abstinence-Only Education Doesn't Work. Tell Congress to Stop Funding it. Sign this petition to tell the U.S. Congress to stop spending taxpayer dollars on Abstinence-Only education.
Help Stop the Rape Audits Bill - H.R. 7 Sign this petition to tell the U.S. Congress that auditing sexual-assault survivors who seek abortion care with their own, private funds is just wrong!
If you are in Texas, another peaceful protest will take place on January 25th.
A few Texas activists have joined forces to host a Pro-Choice event on January 25th at the Texas Capitol. We began as six women of Texas that connected through social media. We have been pleasantly surprised at the outpouring of interest (and growing). Given recent enthusiasm in Texas, we are collaborating to reunite pro choice voters, activist and allies in the fight for reproductive rights.
Let's work together to take back our rights in 2014!