We can not afford to allow the extreme radical right wing define the discussion around a woman's reproductive rights. Since the legalization of abortion and contraceptives, women have had to fight to maintain dignity around our reproductive health. We have faced endless attacks from the right wing, which have steadily been chipping away our access to health care through passing laws that limit our access to information and services we need. Some of the most destructive measures have been the abstinence only policies in schools, which has not limited young people having sex, but has meant that teens who are having sex are doing so without having access to contraceptives that will prevent pregnancy and disease. There has also been a huge stigmatization of abortion, which doesn't decrease the demand for it, but only makes us less healthy in our relationship with our body.
There are a couple facts about abortion on here from the Guttmacher Institute:
"One in three women will have an abortion in their lifetime."
and
"Sixty one percent of abortions are obtained by mothers."
This poster is a list of demands that we want:
We need safe and healthy communities including an elimination of stereotype based services.
We need culturally competent providers who speak our languages.
HIV and STD and AIDS information and services .
We need drug and alcohol treatment services.
We need services for women who are incarcerated
And Reproductive health care coverage on all health plans.
We need access to reproductive services including birth control methods to meet our individual needs.
And an end to population control methods of coercive sterilization.
We need prenatal and postnatal care.
We also need safe and accessible and affordable abortion and contraceptive services.
And teen pregnancy services.
And comprehensive sex education beyond abstinence only.
(there are a few grammatical errors on this poster, just so you are aware!)
And also a call to arms for how we need to structure this discussion about our bodies:
"OUR BODIES, OUR RIGHTS"
and
"Reproductive Health is a Human Right."
