February 2021

 

 

Will You Be Our Valentine 

Valentine’s Day is right around the corner and this year you can help expand access to reproductive health care AND wish that special someone in your life a Happy Valentine’s day too! Your gift will help train and support clinicians to provide compassionate, comprehensive reproductive health care. Make a donation of $25 or more by February 14th and we will send a Valentine’s Day e-card to a special person in your life.

It is a difficult time to be doing this work. Reproductive health care is more politicized and stigmatized than ever and far too many people have to travel long distances, cross picket lines, endure medically unnecessary delays, and pay out-of-pocket for what should be basic health care. Because we focus our efforts on clinicians working in primary care settings, we are able to expand reproductive health care in sites that are free from the negative attention that traditional family planning and abortion clinics are subjected to.

Make your gift of $25 or more today. By making a contribution to RHAP, you are celebrating a special person in your life and improving access to abortion, contraception, and miscarriage care across the United States.

 

 

Reimagine Roe 

On January 22, RHAP hosted a virtual panel to celebrate the 48^th anniversary of the Roe v. Wade Supreme Court decision with RHAP Network leaders. More than 50 people joined us for a discussion exploring reimagining Roe. Our panel included:  

• Anna M. Lowell, D.O., M.P.H., AAHIVS – Cluster Leader, Florida
• Ashia George, RN – Cluster Leader, Michigan 
• Julie Jenkins, MSN, APRN, CNP – APRN Cluster Leader 
• Moira Rashid, MD, MPH – Regional Clinical Network Leader – Western United States 
• Razel Remen, MD – Regional Clinical Network Leader – Midwestern United States and Cluster Leader, Michigan 

They spoke about what reimagining Roe means to them, how the COVID-19 pandemic has impacted access to reproductive health care, and what still needs to be done so reproductive health care is truly accessible and equitable for everyone. 

We are excited to continue working in 2021 to strengthen abortion access all over the country. We are reimagining a future where each of us can live, work, and make decisions about our health with dignity and respect. Here’s how you can get more involved: 

• Support a local abortion fund. 
• Offer your support and resources to your friends, family, and network in low access states. Click here to see which states are at risk of losing abortion access and click here to stay up-to-date on state policy trends. 
• Urge the Biden-Harris Administration to support Abortion Justice. 
• Check out our resources for abortion, early pregnancy loss, and contraception education. 
• Are you a clinician? Join the Reproductive Health Access Network, a national movement of primary care clinicians focused on protecting and expanding access to abortion, contraception, and early pregnancy loss care in their communities and across the country. 
• Help us train, mobilize, and support primary care clinicians to protect access to abortion, contraception, and miscarriage care. 

 

SCOTUS limits access to medication abortion during the pandemic 

On January 12th the Supreme Court of the United States, in its first abortion ruling with Justice Barrett on the bench, reinstated the FDA’s onerous in-person requirements for dispensing mifepristone, a medication critical in providing medication abortion and managing early pregnancy loss. As a result, people seeking medication abortion will again be forced to travel to a health center — even as COVID-19 infections and deaths continue to soar — putting themselves, their families, and health care providers at needless risk for absolutely no medical reason. This reinstatement is particularly harmful to Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC), people with low incomes, those living in rural areas, and people who are undocumented. 

The over-regulation of mifepristone can be fixed by the incoming presidential administration. The new administration will be able to allow patients to receive mifepristone by mail throughout this pandemic so that patients do not have to risk unnecessary virus exposure as a condition of accessing care. Additionally, the Biden-Harris administration can initiate a comprehensive FDA review of current restrictions on mifepristone so that access to the medication both during and beyond the pandemic is based on science and clinical evidence, not politics.

The Reproductive Health Access Project has long advocated for expanding access to mifepristone. Removing the politically motivated regulations on mifepristone is an important step to ensure abortion care and early pregnancy loss care are available to everyone who needs it. The ruling by SCOTUS is a step backward for health, science, and our communities. Everyone should be able to access the abortion care they need, without burden, obstacle, or stigma. RHAP is part of a broad reproductive health/rights/justice coalition advocating that the new administration direct to review the mifepristone regulation and modify them to best reflect scientific evidence and real-world use.

The Blueprint for Sexual and Reproductive Health, Rights and Justice

Since before the 2016 Presidential Election, a coalition of reproductive health, rights, and justice organizations have been coming together to develop the Blueprint for Sexual and Reproductive Health, Rights, and 

Justice, a policy agenda set forth by over 80 organizations to advance sexual and reproductive health, rights, and justice for people in the United States and across the world. The Reproductive Health Access Project is a proud endorser of this agenda, and we look forward to continuing to collaborate with these organizations to create change as we move into the Biden-Harris Administration and beyond. 

During his first week in office, President Biden signed an Executive Order that removed the January 23, 2017 Presidential Memorandum, that reinstated the global gag rule. He has also directed the Department of Health and Human Services to review the Title X funding restrictions, or domestic gag rule. While we appreciate that President Biden has already demonstrated his administrations; commitment to strengthening reproductive health care and undoing harm caused by his predecessor, we know that this is not enough. Check out the Blueprint’s first priorities here.

All of the policy asks of the Blueprint are centered around five key principles:

1. Ensure sexual and reproductive health care is accessible to all people.
2. Ensure discriminatory barriers in health care are eliminated.
3. Ensure research and innovation advance sexual and reproductive health, rights, and justice now and in the future.
4. Ensure health, rights, justice, and wellness for all communities. 
5. Ensure judges and executive officials advance sexual and reproductive health, rights, and justice. 

Informed by these key principles, RHAP is dedicated to mobilizing our clinicians and broader community to take action on Blueprint agenda items that directly affect the communities served by our clinicians. The policy efforts included in the Blueprint that most closely align with RHAP’s work include, but are not limited to: permanently removing the FDA restrictions on mifepristone; abolishing the Hyde Amendment and other abortion coverage bans; passing protective measures that expand access, such as the EACH Woman Act and the Women’s Health Protection Act; removing the restrictions on Title X funding for family planning (domestic gag rule); reinstating the contraceptive mandate of the Affordable Care Act; passing national legislation to reduce maternal mortality and morbidity; and more. We will also continue working with legal organizations to fight against lawsuits meant to restrict and remove access to comprehensive reproductive health care. 

Our vision – making reproductive health care accessible to everyone – necessitates collaboration, persistence, and a commitment to our core values. We are proud to be part of such a broad-reaching coalition of organizations dedicated to ensuring that sexual and reproductive health is available to everyone, everywhere. View the entire Blueprint agenda here. 

More New Faces for a New Year 

Jazz Murray, Organizing and Communications Associate

 Jasmine (Jazz) Murray (she/her) joined us this January as our new Organizing and Communications Associate. Jazz will be providing administrative support to the Network and Clusters, as well as heading up our communications team as we build our presence on social media and online. 

What sparked your passion for reproductive health care and justice?

After taking related coursework in college in Women’s Studies, I became passionate about the rights of women and uplifting the importance of intersectionality. 

In your new position at RHAP as the Organizing and Communications Associate, what are you most excited about?

I am definitely excited to create social media content for RHAP and also get a chance to be an integral part in supporting the Network. 

What do you like to do in your spare time?

In my spare time, I enjoy listening and creating music, and also developing my Youtube channel. 

Please share one of your favorite authors. Or, please share an activist that you would recommend following on Twitter.

One of my favorite authors is James Baldwin. I absolutely love the book, Giovanni’s Room. 

 

Victoria Pittl, Manager of Individual Giving

Victoria Pittl (she/her) joined RHAP in October 2020 as the new Manager of Individual Giving. Victoria manages fundraising initiatives, cultivates relationships with individual donors, and organizes special (virtual) events. 

What sparked your passion for reproductive health care and justice?

As someone who has lived in New York for their entire life, it can be easy to forget how hard it is to access reproductive health care. Reproductive health care is unnecessarily politicized and stigmatized. Far too many people have to travel long distances, cross picket lines, endure medically unnecessary delays, and pay out-of-pocket for what should be basic health care.

In your new position at RHAP as the Individual Giving Manager, what are you most excited about? 
I love fundraising for reproductive health access! Clinicians are working everyday to ensure that their patients have comprehensive, compassionate healthcare – including full spectrum reproductive health care. Anyone can support this important work by investing in RHAP. 

What do you like to do in your spare time?
In my spare time, I like to listen to true crime podcasts, support local coffee places with my caffeine addiction, and snuggle with my cats.

Please share one of your favorite authors. Or, please share an activist that you would recommend following on Twitter.

I highly recommend following your local mutual aid fund on social media! They will often tweet out what items are in need and how else you can support your neighbors during this pandemic.

 

Ying Zhang, Reproductive Health Care and Advocacy Fellowship Consultant

Ying Zhang became the Reproductive Health Care and Advocacy Fellowship Consultant in September 2020 and is also a member of the Reproductive Health Access Network.

What sparked your passion for reproductive health care and justice?

Growing up, I knew family members and close friends who had abortions. Eventually, I would need one myself and was so grateful to have the ability to do so in a supportive environment—a provider who gave me patient-centered care, insurance coverage for this service, and a system that integrated abortion care with other primary care and reproductive healthcare. I was enraged when I first learned this kind of care and access is not available to everyone in this country. While attending medical school in the conservative South, I began to better see and understand some of the barriers patients faced to attaining comprehensive reproductive health services, including abortion care. Witnessing these injustices and individuals’ hardships to receiving dignified reproductive healthcare sparked my own commitment to this work. As a family doctor, I love being able to provide whole-person care—this includes prenatal care, delivering babies, and abortion care and family planning. It is important for me to always center the patient in their healthcare decisions and know that each individual knows what’s best for themselves and for their bodies. 

In your new position at RHAP working on the Reproductive Health Care and Advocacy Fellowship, what are you most excited about?

I’m most excited about working on visioning and strategic planning for creating change, improvement, and growth of the national fellowship. I am so grateful to have the opportunity to collaborate with and learn from other members of the Fellowship team and RHAP staff to do this work. I have enjoyed connecting with past, current, and future fellows as well!

What do you like to do in your spare time?

I spend most of my free time with my kids and family. My kindergartener is really into writing and illustrating his own comic books these days and my toddler is a little explorer. I love experiencing the world through their eyes. We all love being outside—hiking, playgrounds, discovering parks, and watching wildlife in Seattle! 

Please share one of your favorite authors. Or, please share an activist that you would recommend following on Twitter.

Favorite RJ authors: Loretta Ross and Dorothy Roberts

Favorite most recent fun read: Ally Wong’s Dear Girls