Access to reproductive healthcare is multifaceted, complex and ultimately comes down to this: we need better policy. From making sure we codify Roe v. Wade to giving better government subsidies and programs to women who want to continue the pregnancy, we need to fix the fundamental failure of individual’s access to reproductive healthcare.

An opinion article published by Syracuse.com on Sept. 21, 2022 details the support New Hope Family Services provide to women who are wanting the option to have a child.

They provide community services, potential residency programs and other resources that address the necessity for job growth and economic security. This looks at a wider view of reproductive healthcare, which can include supporting a child when a person chooses to have a baby. These programs are supporting individuals for their needs based on choice and are in that way good, but it is not always enough. What people need to understand is that each aspect of healthcare is very important to the issue of reproductive rights.

Although New Hope sounds good in this regard, it has an exclusionary past. They highlight that the adoption process should be an option, but New Hope has excluded many potential families, particularly same-sex couples. As Gray Reed details, the exclusion of same-sex and single-head famlies increases stigma and does not allow for eligible families to have children. However, the adoption system in general can be traumatizing for both the biological family and especially the child, and should not be seen as a primary alternative to abortion. The article placed a heavy focus on the array of options individuals have during their pregnancy, and while it is useful for those seeking another option, the key to reproductive healthcare is that there are an array of options, including abortion.

Still, there are an array of organizations like Planned Parenthood that also provide help in choosing pregnancy, but there is a lack of funding. Local organizations are helpful in the process of giving the right to choose in reproductive healthcare. Religious affiliated organizations cannot be the only source for people to seek reproductive rights. Local organizations need better funding to relieve the economic burden for families, whether they want to continue to have a pregnancy or not.

The more urgent aspect of reproductive rights right now is found within states where individuals are facing a total ban of abortion access. People are now stuck with an extreme economic burden. These costs range from medical bills, the cost of having a child and a Plan B option.

For example, in Texas people face a state administration that is wholly, willingly ignorant to the issue of abortion. Gov. Greg Abbott’s solution for rape victims was to just purchase Plan B, minimizing their experiences. In reality, Plan B is not always available at local pharmacies. This especially affects women of color, lower income communities and rural communities. For many rape victims, other individuals facing an unwanted pregnancy, or those facing a complex medical situation, abortion access is necessary.

There have been large networks of people traveling from Texas to Mexico at a low cost, but still this is largely inaccessible to most Texans. People who are not rich enough are left behind. Lives are placed in danger, and ultimately, bodily autonomy is lost. The right to choose is infringed upon.

Ultimately, we need more government welfare programs to expand access to safe and trustworthy reproductive healthcare. The child poverty rate is decreasing due to welfare programs like Medicaid, child tax credits, and food stamps. However, even these aspects can vary in access and amount by state, race, and even time.

According to Columbia University, child poverty did drop, but increased again in 2022 after monthly child tax credits ended. The child poverty rate is significantly higher among Black and Latino children. Once again, welfare programs that provide resources to families decrease poverty. We see it in the data.

Services such as those offered by New Hope need to be expanded beyond religious affiliation and beyond the non-profit sector. They should still exist within these areas, but in order to truly expand this welfare access to benefit reproductive rights and to be less discriminatory, we need a concrete government policy. By increasing the variety of these resources, such as adding childcare subsidies, mandating maternal/paternal leave, and keeping the child tax credits, the way will be made for more bodily autonomy.

Right now, the major focus in this country should be on restoring legal access to abortion. It is an urgent matter. But, we cannot stop at legalizing abortion. We cannot stop at non-profit level implementation. This issue of lacking reproductive healthcare support is ingrained in American politics.

Individuals, especially women of color, are bearing the burden of the lack of policy that supports reproductive healthcare. Many people are now left with almost no options, without access to abortion and without proper welfare policy to support a child.

Evelina Torres, Class of 2025

Published on September 29, 2022 at 12:42 am