By: Natiece Ford
Life or death. For many, that is what reproductive justice boils down to and for states like Texas where in instances of rape, incest, or life threatening medical emergencies women are not able to receive abortion care making women’s rights a definite a matter of life and death especially for women of color.
With the upcoming election on November 5th terms like “women’s rights” and Roe v. Wade have been pushed to the forefront of not only the recent debate but also national headlines. D’Andra Willis, the Interim Deputy Director of AFIYA, a Dallas based organization on a mission to protect and in- form black women of their right to choose how and if they bring life into the world spoke with AFRAM NEWS on the reversal of Roe v. Wade and its effects on Black lives.
“ You’re asking a woman who works a job that doesn’t pay equitable pay, they probably already have children and live under poverty, to get a flight and a hotel to pay for a procedure and then be away from their home for 5 to 10 days.”
With the closing of clinics in the Dallas area many women now do not have access to birth control resources thus forcing pregnancies in a state ranked amongst the top five in Black mater- nal mortality. In instances where there is a medi-
cal emergency there is no support for doctors who knowingly do not perform abortions out of fear of losing their licenses or facing jail time, a direct viola- tion of their oath to do no harm because Texas is a total abortion ban state.
“ There have always been abortions, we just didn’t talk about it, it wasn’t anyone’s business, we did what he had to for our families” stated Willis when asked about the stigma associated with abortion in the Black community with many assuming that women use abortion as the only form of contraception with- out giving thought to the other needs that are being neglected with the reversal of Roe v. Wade.
Children who have been victimized cannot receive a judicial bypass in Texas, where a child can peti- tion the court to have someone assist in aiding them through the process of not only the procedure but booking hotels or flights because they may be too young. Women in domestic violence scenarios are now likely to be forced to stay with their abusers causing the chances of harm to increase because of the pregnancy and women living with HIV are struggling to get the resources they need with the closure of clinics in their communities.
Will the only way that lawmakers decide that women should have the rights to their own bodies be when it affects them directly when their wives and daughters or nieces are now faced with the costly decision to negotiate their own life or the life of their unborn child?
