Most Americans are pro-choice, yet right wing politicians continue to use women’s bodies as ground zero in the culture war. Large national organizations like NARAL are doing great work, but the fight for reproductive justice demands a multi-faceted approach. The U.S. is in the midst of a maternal death crisis that disproportionately affects poor women and women of color. Reproductive rights advocacy must include not only choice issues, but also access and funding issues. Women who choose to give birth must have access to quality health care, to choices about their bodies, and to adequate postpartum care.
This holiday season, consider supporting the fight for reproductive justice by giving to one of these lesser known organizations.
National Advocates for Pregnant Women
The National Advocates for Pregnant Women offers legal and other help to pregnant women facing a variety of concerns. They defend women accused of undergoing illegal abortions, support women to make choices about health care during pregnancy, and provide education about best practices in pregnancy and birth care.
SisterSong
Sister song co-founder Loretta Ross created the term “reproductive justice” to refer to the broad range of reproductive health issues women face, as well as the ways in which of privilege and power affect women’s reproductive lives. SisterSong is committed to reproductive justice for women of color. Their work includes trans and non-binary people, a commitment to impoverished and indigenous women, and an ongoing effort to address the maternal mortality crisis.
Reproductive Health Access Project
Improving access to birth control and reproductive health care saves lives. It’s also one of the few measures that research shows can lower the abortion rate. The Reproductive Health Access Project improves access to reproductive health care for women and girls of all ages. Their work includes eliminating legal and other access barriers, as well as helping women find funding and low-cost options for the care they need.
National Network of Abortion Funds
Without adequate funding for abortion, choice is just a buzzword. Many insurers don’t pay for abortion, and federal law prohibits federal abortion funding. This leaves lower income women scrambling to fund their abortions. Some wait until it’s too late. Others spend so much time trying to gather funds that they must seek a medically complicated and expensive second trimester abortion. The National Network of Abortion Funds is working to reverse this trend, and provides information about both local and national sources of abortion funding.
Your Local Abortion Clinic
Many abortion clinics accept donations to fund access for low-income women, or to provide education and outreach services. You may be able to have the most direct local impact by contacting abortion clinics in your state and asking them what they need.
SPARK Reproductive Justice Now
SPARK is committed to advancing the cause of reproductive justice in the south. With an emphasis on poor women and communities of color, SPARK serves trans and gender nonconforming people and pregnant women. Rather than focusing solely on choice, SPARK emphasizes issues of access and bodily autonomy, including for pregnant women who choose to give birth.
A Struggling Woman
You don’t have to give to charity to make a difference. Indeed, one of the most gratifying ways to fight back against the war on women is to offer direct assistance to a woman in need. Know a woman who can’t afford health care? Pay for her insurance, her birth, or her abortion. Give money to your local women’s shelter. Drive a woman to the gynecologist. Sometimes the struggling people we know are the least visible to us. Mine your social network for people in need of help, then mobilize your resources to make a difference.