“Freedom and justice cannot be parceled out in pieces to suit political convenience. I don’t believe you can stand for freedom for one group of people and deny it to others.”
Coretta Scott King
It has not been easy to put into words, the anguish, futility, and frustration I experience as the result of the ceaseless assaults on access to comprehensive sexual and reproductive healthcare. A just society is not one that parcels out access to reproductive healthcare services.
I have cared deeply about this conversation ever since I was first introduced to the subject as a teenager in the late 1970s from my high school environmental science teacher. Looking back, I wonder if his sex ed lectures were sanctioned by the school administration as he wove the discussion into his lessons on estuaries, clam digging, and hunger in developing countries. I understand now he was offering “science-based sex education”, a subject that still isn’t widely taught in our schools.
I’m grateful to my 10th grade teacher for opening my eyes to a range of issues from the importance of biodiversity to the potentially devastating outcomes of unwanted, and unplanned pregnancies. Access to reproductive care I learned could have a profound impact on our lives by preventing unintended pregnancies, improving maternal health, diagnosing and treating sexually transmitted infections, and allowing the pursuit of an education, or a job. I barely understood where babies came from at this point, so imagine how transformational his teachings were for me. My eyes were indeed opened, and what I took away from his lectures was the knowledge and power I needed to help me control and carve-out my own future.
Fast forward 40 years and widespread access to reproductive healthcare has allowed countless human beings the liberty to pursue their dreams, it has reduced maternal death, and improved children’s health.
Yet today, the Republican party and in particular red state legislators are tirelessly working to limit access to sexual and reproductive care services; the people hurt by these actions are those who can least afford it, the most vulnerable among us. Access to reproductive healthcare should not be controversial, nor politicized, but it is. As Harvard Professor Dr. Paul Farmer posits “[S]uffering is rarely separate from the actions of the politically powerful…”
I believe the “right to life” must include the fundamental right to make our own healthcare decisions. The right to life must be viewed through the lens of justice and equity. Without reproductive freedom, women are not free. Addressing the real truth that the anti-choice movement is not pro-life is important for this discussion. Are the racial injustices and economic disparities in our society pro-life? Is capital punishment pro-life? Religious freedom becomes religious coercion when beliefs impact others’ equal rights.
All of this is why in early 2021 I rejoined the Planned Parenthood board, this time as a member of its advocacy arm, Planned Parenthood Advocates Alliance. This Planned Parenthood affiliate covers Alaska, Idaho, Hawaii, Indiana, Kentucky and most of Washington State. The affiliate has consolidated over the years for many reasons but primarily because of the Republican party’s efforts to shut-down federal reimbursement for Planned Parenthood safety-net family planning services.
Planned Parenthood believes women should have the right and the ability to control their own fertility whether planning, preventing or terminating a pregnancy, and so do I. Additionally, Planned Parenthood believes everyone should have access to the full range of reproductive health care. Its primary goal is prevention — reducing the number of unintended pregnancies, and supporting healthy, wanted pregnancies. Decisions about childbearing should be made between an individual, their family, their health care provider, and their faith — not by the government. The United States has the highest teen pregnancy rate among the world’s developed nations, and it is slipping behind with respect a woman’s right to control her healthcare choices. This does not have to be our reality, and it is why I Stand with Planned Parenthood.
Stephanie Daley-Watson is a retired corporate lawyer, spouse, and mother of two newly adult children. Stephanie spent nearly 30 years practicing law and is focusing (along with her husband Christopher) on making the world a better place over the next 30. She is a newly minted wellness coach focusing on healthy aging. Stephanie is an avid cyclist, lifelong learner, and novelty seeker.