VM: Thank you for clarifying, Ms. Bush. To unpack that a bit, I think it’s important to understand that the decision to have children is not as straightforward as answering the yes-or-no questions like, “Do I want to have a child?” There are hundreds of decisions that go into that—like “Does my partner want a child,” “Will I have access to health care for me and my child,” “Am I healthy enough to carry a child,” “Can I afford to have a child right now,” etc. It’s actually very complicated. There are many factors that affect or limit that decision-making process. On top of that, these decisions are very intimate and personal. They’re influenced by feelings, culture and social expectations; sometimes these decisions are influenced more by these things than logic.
EB: Exactly. I think individuals lose freedom to make decisions when they don’t have access to all the resources they need to make the decisions that are best for them.
VM: I agree. Without access to birth control options, people don’t have the option of lowering their risk of pregnancy with birth control. They are left with only two options—to not have sex or risk pregnancy. That’s not justice or freedom. Also, the issue of chronic stress from intimate partner violence (IPV) aging the cells in our bodies ties into reproductive justice, as cited by Drs. Humphreys and Constantino elsewhere on the page. IPV can include sexual violence and reproductive coercion or control. If you’re someone who experiences stress because of these kinds of IPV, their research shows that that stress can damage DNA and cause people to age faster.
EB: All of these issues are vital to reproductive justice. As a community, we need to focus on protecting everyone’s reproductive rights. Because when we protect our reproductive rights, our community is healthier. When people can thoughtfully and deliberately choose to have babies when they’re ready, children are more likely to be born and raised in stable and healthy homes. Babies raised in stable homes are more likely to become healthy adults contributing to an increasingly healthy community.
VM: What a great way to put it! Thank you so much for sharing your perspective, Ms. Bush. I’ll be back next month to chat about July’s topic, which is health and incarceration.
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