Shandanette Molnar, George Washington University Law School

Before considering law school, I contemplated becoming a traditional midwife. After learning of the legal challenges that families and midwives face when attempting a more empowered birth experience, I decided that there was important legal work to be done and part of that work was my responsibility. In the meantime, I resolved to become a birth & postpartum doula and lactation educator and counselor so as to maintain my sense of self during law school.

As a maternal care, birth, and breastfeeding advocate, there are certainly times when I feel a disconnect between law school and the birth and reproductive justice movements. This is where LSRJ comes into the picture and precisely why campus-based reproductive justice work is so important. LSRJ bridges the gap between my outside and law school lives and repairs that schism I feel. With an LSRJ framework, I oftentimes engage with fellow classmates and raise awareness of reproductive justice issues. Through these conversations, our chapter highlights that reproductive justice is about much more than abortion. It is about the shackling of incarcerated pregnant women, mandatory Cesarean births, bans on vaginal births after Cesareans (VBACs), domestic violence, and access to information and quality healthcare across the full spectrum of a person’s reproductive life. When possible, I highlight the metarights because they are just so powerful – the right to have children, the right not to have children, and the right to parent the children we have with dignity.

Next week, our chapter will be co-hosting a feminist networking event for students. In an effort to give back to the law school community, I am hoping that I will be able to connect with a new chapter member or schoolmate – perhaps a 1L – and assure them that if they are interested in the work, reproductive justice and LSRJ provide many intersections to pursue meaningful work, both on and off campus.

Though I have often doubted my decision to attend law school, I feel confident in the decision I made now that I have 1L year behind me. Additionally, I think it will be easier to be a lawyer in midwifery school than it would have been to be a midwife in law school. Sure, I still desire to become midwife, but that’s how I’ll spend my fifties+ life. In the meantime, I am going to dedicate myself to combining my legal advocacy skills with a commitment to better birth, breastfeeding, and maternal care practices, as well as birth and reproductive justice. I hope a few of my amazingly talented law school comrades will join me as well.

When I began my fellowship at the National Asian Pacific American Women’s Forum (NAPAWF), I was thrilled to work for a progressive multi-issue organization whose focus was on API women and girls. Like many social justice advocates in law school, I had a hard time with the limited discussion of underlying factors which result in inequity that is glossed over during lectures in which we master the law of contracts, civil procedure, property, torts, and criminal procedure during our first year. I was so excited to find and join the Law Students for Reproductive Justice Chapter at my law school. Through the group, I found a space in which to create events and programs that fed my passion for social justice. I was also able to begin to connect the dots between legal theory and reality of communities.

I was thrilled to have the chance to continue that work in a professional capacity. What I soon discovered was that I was going to be living the idea that we become what we are seeking. At various point in my legal career, I wondered where the voices of women of color and low income people were, why they were not part of decision making that had a direct impact on their lives. During my fellowship year, I soon became consumed with increasing the voice and visibility of API women and girls. I did this through creating fact sheets, helping to mobilize our members to contact their representatives about various bills, working with coalitions on various pieces of legislation, participating in administrative advocacy around implementation of the affordable care act, and conducting legislative visits about the implications of various bills on API women and girls. I also had several moments of celebrity encounters for nerds as I got to be in the same space as the President, First Lady, Supreme Court Justices, advocates whose work I have admired, and members of Congress. I also feel like a big shot as I got to attend receptions, conferences, and meetings at the West Wing, Capitol and various congressional offices. I even had a moment of being tongue tied when I was in a meeting with Kalpen Modi.

My experience with public speaking was the biggest surprise of the year. I got to face my fear of public speaking pretty frequently. The challenge got heightened when I was speaking on topics that I knew the audience did not fully agree with me on and/or did not know much about; I felt like I was learning a dance in which I had to get people interested in the topic and then in agreement on the things we had in common. What began as an area in which I needed improvement turned into one of my strongest skills. I had become the voice I wanted to hear more of during my legal career. I also realized that transforming a perceived weakness into an actual strength was a way that I internalized NAPAWF’s work on increasing voice and visibility of API women and girls. During presentations, I inserted a bit of my personal story. During workshops on transforming a culture of son preference, I worked to make room for participants to share their story. The ways in which API women as a community and as individuals are seen and heard is when we speak our truth even when our voices shake and knots form in our stomach. Transformation does not wait for perfection; it needs action to be realized. Thank you LSRJ for the privilege of being part of the inaugural class and thank you funders for making it possible for me to have such an amazing year! As I go forward in my legal career, I know that the experiences I had at NAPAWF will make me a better advocate.

Jaspreet Chowdhary (’10 Seattle University School of Law)

2010-2011 RJ Fellow at the National Asian Pacific American Women’s Forum

Last weekend I was grabbing drinks with a friend who used to work “in the movement” and she asked me, “So what’s going on with our reproductive rights? Are we doing anything about this?” As I started to explain the important work advocates are doing and my optimism about the fate of reproductive justice policy in the long-term, I found myself recounting many of the experiences I had during my fellowship year.

I was placed with the Women’s Health and Rights Program at the Center for American Progress (CAP). CAP is a think tank that develops new policy ideas, critiques policy that stems from conservative values, and challenges the media to cover the issues that truly matter and shape the national debate. The Women’s Health and Rights Program incorporates a reproductive justice framework into this work.

My fellowship year has been filled with invaluable opportunities for learning and growth thanks to the Director of the Women’s Health & Rights Program, Jessica Arons, and Senior Fellow Shira Saperstein, who are incredibly smart, quick, thoughtful, and creative (hence my aforementioned optimism).  But one of the most significant takeaways from my year at CAP is about the importance of collaboration.

It seems obvious, right? It is, especially since I’m not new to the DC machine. Yet CAP’s unique organizational structure – various teams and sub-teams divided by policy area, each with experts in the given field – gave me a lesson in how to strategically collaborate with seemingly un-usual suspects.

One example of this type of cross-cutting collaboration was on the issue of access to abortion for women in the military. Much has been done by reproductive rights and justice advocates to argue that servicewomen deserve coverage for the full range of reproductive health services. Congress gets it – the “women’s rights-ers” don’t like military health care. Perhaps we could use an additional messenger.

Enter Lawrence Korb, a Senior Fellow for CAP’s national security team and seasoned military expert.  Among other things, Korb served as Assistant Secretary of Defense during the Reagan Administration. He also thinks the military’s health care for servicewomen is inadequate. Thanks to this connection, the unlikely voice of a former Department of Defense official is speaking out about the DoD’s unfair reproductive health policy. (Read Korb’s op-ed here).

I was able to collaborate with many other teams at CAP on reproductive justice issues – not only broadening the available expertise, but also broadening the audience. Every little bit helps in this town. I am grateful to Jessica and Shira and LSRJ for showing me that although issues may appear siloed, there are opportunities for strategic collaborations!

Alex Walden (’10 University of San Francisco School of Law)

2010-2011 RJ Fellow at the Center for American Progress

This is the third in a series of reflection posts by our outgoing (and inaugural) class of Reproductive Justice Fellows. Click here and here for the first and second entries and visit the RJFP page for more information about the program.

Hard to believe an entire year has gone by!  It was just a year ago that I graduated law school, sat for the bar exam, and moved to the DC area.  As I finish my last full week at my host organization, the Asian & Pacific Islander American Health Forum (APIAHF), I find myself reflecting on the amazing year I’ve had in the policy world and the wonderful start to my career this provided.

As a fellow at APIAHF, I’ve been immersed in the world of health policy, working on a number of exciting issues, including the recently passed Affordable Care Act, or Health Care Reform.  Over the past year, I’ve been able to see firsthand how federal policy is made, including through legislative and administrative advocacy.  I’ve become friends with the Federal Register, a goldmine of information for all things federal, and learned the importance of making sure the voices of underserved communities are heard.

My time at APIAHF has been a whirlwind and has felt like policy boot camp.  I couldn’t have come to DC at a better time to work on health care issues, and I am excited for the newest LSRJ fellow to continue where I’ve left off.  I am indebted to LSRJ for funding this once in a lifetime experience, as well as my supervisor who gave me the support and strength to push myself each day.

Amina Farhadi (’10 UNC School of Law)

2010-2011 RJ Fellow at the Asian & Pacific Islander American Health Forum

This is the second in a series of reflection posts by our outgoing (and inaugural) class of Reproductive Justice Fellows. Click here for the first entry and visit the RJFP page for more information about the program.

Has it already been a year?  Although the bar exam seems like ages ago, it feels like I just moved to D.C. to start my LSRJ fellowship.  My placement was with the National Health Law Program (NHeLP), an organization that works to further access to quality health care for low-income individuals and underserved populations, primarily by providing legal expertise on Medicaid.

Looking back over the year, I am amazed at how much I learned.  When I started at NHeLP, I knew next to nothing about Medicaid.  There was so much to learn – and I was almost certain I would never be able to grasp the complexities in this area of law by the end of my fellowship.

Then, at around six months in, things began to click.  For the remainder of my fellowship, I actively contributed to policy strategy, and I finished research in almost half the time than when I started.  It was also around this time that I began feeling comfortable training and presenting on Medicaid coverage of reproductive health care.  Better yet, others at outside organizations began calling me for advice and input on issues around Medicaid and health care reform.

Now as my fellowship comes to an end and I prepare to transition into my new role as staff attorney, I am looking forward to helping the new LSRJ fellow learn the ropes.  I am incredibly grateful to LSRJ and am proud to have been part of the inaugural fellowship class.  Thank you LSRJ!

Davida Silverman (’10, CUNY School of Law)

2010-2011 RJ Fellow at the National Health Law Program

Thanks to my amazing host organization, the National Latina Institute for Reproductive Health, my fellowship year has been amazing and I am sad it is ending so soon. On any given morning, I am throwing on a pair of heels and walking over to my first meeting. In that meeting, I sit around a conference table with ten other attorneys who know the games in DC; they know everyone in the administration and everyone in Congress. In this meeting, we create a plan for drafting official comments to Health and Human Services encouraging them to consider certain facts about women in the new health care reform. I add information about the health disparities that Latinas face.

Afterward, I grab the metro and pop up to Capitol Hill where I meet another group of activists in front of a Senators office. We gather the briefs we have been writing, confirm our agenda and then go in and introduce ourselves. We sit down with the Senator’s lead attorney to explain our issue. In this particular meeting, the Senator comes in after her vote on the Senate floor and sits down with us. She confirms that she does support this issue, appreciates the information we gathered, and explains that she is interested in speaking on the floor on behalf of women of color on this issue. Great! We let her know that we are prepared to help. Now, we have to go, we have two more meetings. Number two goes well, but the last is horrible and the legislative assistant is less than kind and barely lets us speak at all. There isn’t too much time to dwell on it. I’ve got to get back to the office to work on a memo that is due to my supervisor on yet another issue. It’s now 5:30pm and we have an invitation to see President Obama speak at a galla for immigrant rights, its time to thrown on a dress and make my way to the event. After waiting until the very end of the event to be sure to shake hands with the President, it is time to get home before it all starts again tomorrow.

This has been my life for the last year as an LSRJ Legal Fellow. It has been a non-stop whirl wind of advocacy work. I have had so many once-in-a-lifetime experiences in this one year that they are impossible to count. I have learned from the best about how to advocate for the most disadvantaged people in our communities, especially women and people of color. These skills, and the confidence that came with their practice, have shaped me into the advocate I have dreamed of being.

I am endlessly grateful to my supervisors who integrated me into even the most important pieces of the work the organization does, to the LSRJ staff who were always available for mentoring, and the funders who made this year possible.

Dani Hawkes (’10, University of Utah S.J. Quinney College of Law)

2010-2011 RJ Fellow at the National Latina Institute for Reproductive Health

Early Sunday morning, Nancy begins to have excruciating abdominal pain. Immediately, she begins to worry about the health of her fetus. She wakes her husband and he rushes her to the town hospital thirty minutes away. Upon her arrival, it is determined that Nancy is miscarrying and there is no chance her fetus will survive. However, the town hospital (the only hospital within 180 miles), is a Catholic hospital governed by the Ethical and Religious Directives for Catholic Healthcare Services (Directives), a document developed and enforced by the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops. The Directives provide guidance on reproductive health services including surgical sterilization, family planning, emergency contraception, infertility treatment, and abortion. Though the doctors are certain Nancy’s fetus will not survive, they would not treat Nancy. They withhold this information from Nancy and continue to run painful and expensive test on her until hours later they determine there is no longer a fetal heartbeat. Under the Directives, abortions are not allowed even in cases of emergencies or when the mother’s life is at risk. In Nancy’s case, because there was still a fetal heartbeat, even though the doctors knew the fetus would not survive, termination of her pregnancy would be considered an abortion.

Though this story is fictitious, it is the reality of millions of Americans today.  One in six patients in the United States is cared for in a Catholic hospital.  Catholic institutions control 622 hospitals nationwide, the largest single group of nonprofit hospitals in the United States. Five of the ten largest healthcare systems, which operate hospitals and medical centers throughout the United States, are Catholic. A large number of these hospitals are in rural communities where these hospitals are the only health care options for the sick. The Catholic Bishops promote “natural family planning,” which means that no drugs, devices, or surgical procedures can be used to avoid pregnancy. Instead, families monitor the woman’s menstrual cycle and abstain from sex during her fertile phase.  The Directives prohibit almost all reproductive health services: contraceptives that do not promote “natural family planning” are prohibited, most treatments for infertility are not allowed, sterilizations for men and women are banned, and abortion, even in cases of rape, incest, or to save a pregnant woman’s life, is impossible to obtain. Special government exemptions, known as “refusal clauses,” permit hospitals to use religious doctrines as patient care guides while remaining eligible to receive public funding. Almost every state has some sort of refusal clause allowing individual health providers to refuse to provide abortion services. However, some states have religious-based refusal clauses for reproductive services such as birth control and sterilization.

Like Nancy, many women have no idea their local hospitals will not provide certain services to them even if their life is on the line. Further, many women do not know that these hospitals are not being held liable for the consequences of refusing to provide these services or for not making women aware of other alternatives at non religious hospitals. This is an issue that affects women all over the country and needs the attention of women universally. The more people who are aware of these lack of services, the larger an impact we can have on our country to stop merging public and religious hospitals. Reproductive justice will be achieved when women have access to the resources to have children, not have children, or parent the children they have with dignity. This is not achievable when women are being denied specific services because of practitioner’s moral beliefs. This cannot be achieved when women are not being given the information to make responsible decisions over their reproductive health with dignity and good faith in their doctors. Make yourself aware of your local hospital’s policies and your state refusal clauses.

Click here for a state directory of laws regarding reproductive health.

Erika Willis

African American women experience premature births and infant mortality at almost twice the rate of white American women.  When faced with this statistic, the reasons that automatically come to mind are because of socioeconomic inequalities regarding access to healthcare, prenatal care, and a healthy diet.  These inequalities frequently correlate with race.  However, there are increasing studies that point to race being a significant factor in premature births.  Just being a racial minority increases the likelihood of having a premature baby.

The documentary Unnatural Causes, When the Bough Breaks details how being a racial minority, and the everyday prejudices that one experiences, causes a considerable amount of stress to the body. (more…)

As you’ve likely seen covered in the news, several cities have been blanketed with racist and harmful billboards purporting to “save hundreds of thousands of black babies from being aborted every year in the United States…,” a claim that is offensive, outrageous, and, equally importantly, outright ignores the serious reality of health disparities in this country. To learn more, check out the round-up below of some of the more recent blog posts on this issue. If you know of more, put them in the comments! And congratulations to California Latinas for Reproductive Justice (CLRJ), who successfully mobilized and got 3 of the billboards in the Los Angeles area removed!

“Racist billboards come to Oakland. WTF.” from Asian Communities for Reproductive Justice (ACRJ) in Oakland.

“The continuing fight against anti-abortion billboards targeting communities of color” at Feministing.

“One Racist Billboard Comes Down, Another Goes Up” at RH Reality Check.

“Antiabortion Groups Launch Attacks on Latinas’ Health, Rights, and Dignity” by LSRJ’s very own Alex Walden, Reproductive Justice Fellow at Center for American Progress.

OK, we can all admit that things in the world are pretty intense currently, correct? Countries are rising up against their governments, earthquakes are enormous, nuclear plants are threatening to melt down, the world’s economy is in turmoil, and state and federal legislatures in the United States are advancing bills that hurt women. With all that is going on, it seems like a government like ours in the U.S. would prioritize disseminating accurate information, based on sound logic and the best available science. Accurate reporting would mitigate the mania, after all. Right? (more…)