This month, the “Take Charge of Your Health Today” page focuses on reproductive justice. Vianca Masucci, health advocate, Urban League of Greater Pittsburgh, and Esther L. Bush, president and CEO of the Urban League of Greater Pittsburgh, exchanged ideas on this topic.
VM: Hello, Ms. Bush. I’m excited about this month’s topic on reproductive justice. I feel that this is the type of topic that this page has been designed to explore. When folks think about the term “reproductive rights,” they usually think only about abortion. But abortion is just one issue within reproductive rights. Reproductive rights include getting basic sex education, making your own decisions about family planning, having access to meaningful health care and being able to parent your children in a safe environment. They also tie into issues like intimate partner violence and how abuse can get in the way of how you control your own reproductive destiny. True reproductive justice is having the right, the autonomy and the resources to make healthy decisions throughout the entire family planning process. Unfortunately, not everyone has the freedom to make these decisions about this part of their health.
EB: Yes, I’m happy that we are covering this issue because it’s a very deep topic. You say “freedom,” and I’d like to pause on that for a second. By law, we all have the freedom to make decisions about our own bodies. By law, people have the right to choose if, when and with whom they want or don’t want to have children. However, sometimes this “freedom” is limited by what you have access to, what you can afford and/or what expectations your community has of you. But, Vianca, I would be remiss to mention the rights and the freedom without also talking about responsibility. Bringing another person into the world is probably the most important responsibility a human being can undertake. Such an important decision must be approached thoughtfully and realistically.
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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