I had the wonderful privilege of spending last Thursday, July 1, 2010, in the California Capitol with a prominent reproductive health lobbyist.   After arriving in Sacramento via the beautifully scenic Amtrak train ride, we drove downtown near the Capitol where it was lunchtime and all the politicos were chatting, lunching and doing their politics thing.  While most people have heard of “lobbyists” or “lobbying,” what goes into the day to day work of this profession is something that many don’t know about.  I was able to experience even a few hours of that and it is a demanding profession.

Lobbying is a form of advocacy with the intention of influencing decisions made by legislators.  It is advocating on behalf of a client, whether it be an individual, organization or corporation.  The term “lobbying” comes from the fact that lobbyists used to stand in the areas, or “lobbies,” outside the House or Senate chambers in order to chat with legislators as they come to or from chambers or to await legislative decisions.

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Last week, I had the opportunity to participate in a really interesting webinar about Emergency Contraception with Dr. James Trussell, a leading researcher in contraceptive efficacy and contraceptive methods. The webinar was focused on updates on research about emergency contraception and some of its reasons for failure, as well as information about the newest EC option, Ella, which was recently approved by an advisory committee to the FDA. Much of the information presented related to the participants of the studies that were done to calculate the effectiveness of EC.

One of the most interesting aspects of the presentation was actually the question and answer period at the end of the presentation.  The main audience of this webinar turned out to be health care providers and medical professionals who counseled women about emergency contraception options across the country and even Canada. The questions that they asked Dr. Trussell reminded me that there are so many unique situations that people can find themselves in. Some expressed concern about their patient’s ability to access medication that is not available over-the-counter in rural areas, being able to afford emergency contraception without insurance, and whether using emergency contraception could interfere with breast-feeding. It was great to hear so many people who would be able to provide them with accurate information in a non-judgmental setting.  Since the announcement of the FDA’s consideration of Ella, the amount of misinformation represented on blogs, websites and news reports reminds me how important it is to have accurate, fact-based information from professionals readily available. It hopeful to know that many of the people giving advice and counsel to young women have taken the time to educate themselves on the facts of emergency contraception from one of the leading experts in the field.

Jeryl Hayes

The first time I answered the question, “Nice to meet you. What do you do?” with the complete, whole truth I found it hard to breathe. I waited to see the faces change, the hand pull away. That was because, until that moment, when I first met people, I never revealed my full job description. To my relief, no one attacked me, judged me, or even looked at me strangely. I didn’t lie, but I definitely had perfected a watered down, vague answer, a safe answer, to that dreaded question. However this time, taking a deep breath, I declared proudly, “I work in women’s reproductive healthcare. I am a business manager for offices that provide reproductive health care and we specialize in abortion care.” Huge sigh of relief.

Why I couldn’t just say this from the beginning was something that I had reflected on constantly since my job had transformed into a career. I was certainly not embarrassed about what I had chosen to do every day for a living. In fact, in direct contrast, I was (and am) proud to put my values in action working in a field about which I care deeply and for a cause I believe in, heart and soul. However, my beliefs regarding women’s healthcare did not form based on the field I work in, but rather from where I grew up.

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I am not a worthless piece of trash, but rather a valuable asset to people, families, the community—and the world. I hope that my story will help to alleviate the disgraceful practice of shackling women during labor, which in turn will help alleviate the negative behaviors of prison guards and hospital staff toward women who give birth while incarcerated.—Kimberly Mays

As of this spring, thanks to women like Kimberly Mays and fellow reproductive justice advocates across the state, Washington state can boast two large victories against the practice of shackling pregnant incarcerated women. On March 23, 2010, the Governor signed into law HB 2747 which bans the use of restraints on female inmates in labor or post-partum recovery, making Washington only the 7^th state in the nation to pass anti-shackling legislation. Just a couple of weeks ago, Legal Voice, a women’s rights organization based out a of Seattle, sent a press-release confirming that on May 3, 2010, the federal district court agreed that shackling laboring women violates the Eighth Amendment right to be free from cruel and unusual punishment. The Department of Corrections also agreed to pay plaintiff, Casandra Brawley, $125,000 to settle her lawsuit. But, nationwide, jails and prisons and immigration detention centers continue to put non-violent women in restraints such as leg irons and wrist shackles during childbirth. Pregnant women are shackled on the way to the hospital, while they are giving birth, and during recovery.

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Having just returned from the 2010 CLPP conference, From Abortion to Rights to Social Justice:  Building the Movement for Reproductive Freedom, at Hampshire College this past weekend, my head is buzzing with new ideas, inspiring words, and the sense of being part of something much larger…a movement with an important history and a hopeful future—at least judging by the number of engaged young people attending and leading this major convening of reproductive justice activists.  Workshops, trainings, and plenary panels spread across three days covered a wide range of issues—including economic justice, racial equality, freedom from violence, immigrant rights, climate justice, health care reform, and LGBTQ rights—all of which inform our understandings of what true reproductive justice will look like.

One of the most powerful aspects of the experience for me was connecting with people who do RJ work in many different capacities—as grassroots organizers and educators, as medical professionals and professional activists, as college students and as parents.  Spending much of my time working with law students and lawyers, it’s all too easy to get used to speaking in certain ways and hearing the same kinds of voices in my daily conversations.  (more…)