The conversation about abortion is important. It is important to talk about because it affects so many lives, not just the mother of the unborn child. Democrats and Republicans are sharply divided on how to approach this broader conversation.
Since Black women represent one-third of all women who have abortions, it is important that we have a voice in this debate. We must be actively involved in shaping the future of abortion laws for all pregnant people and our families. That is why Ethnic Media Services provided a briefing on some of the ways women are speaking for themselves in the abortion debate.
It was mentioned that the Mitch McConnell-led Senate confirmed that federal judges are overwhelmingly white and male. "I think that will create an environment where women's reproductive rights are going to be at tremendous risk," said Matsubara, general counsel at Planned Parenthood Affiliates of California.
Jessica Pinkney, Executive Director of Reproductive Justice Access, said that abortion funds exist to help pay for abortions. She referenced the Hyde Amendment, which prohibits federal funding to pay for abortions, has led to the creation of abortion funds.
The "National Network of Abortion Funds" offers support to groups in different states that provide financial assistance for abortions. They also offer training on how to develop fundraising campaigns and connect women with community health centers.
Pinkney said she would like to see more black women leading these types of organizations because they are the ones most affected by the abortion debate. White people can't quite understand what it's like to be black in America.
"There are many reasons why the conversation about abortion is important," he ended
Jodi Hicks, executive director of Planned Parenthood Affiliates of California said that if women who need an abortion but live in a country where it is illegal, either because of restrictive laws or lack of funding, they often have to resort to unsafe ways of terminating their pregnancy.
It should be recalled that in the United States, 800 women are hospitalized for incomplete abortions each year. In poor countries, unsafe abortion is one of the main causes of maternal mortality and morbidity.
The conversation about abortion is important because it is an integral conversation for women's rights, racial justice, reproductive rights and economic justice. We need to have this conversation with ourselves, with our friends and with our families.
