Community Guidelines

By engaging with RHAP in its various forms, community members agree to center RHAP’s values and abide by the following community guidelines. To view our values, visit our values webpage. 

1. Commitment to anti-racism. RHAP supports the dismantling of white supremacy and the integration of a reproductive justice and racial justice lens to our work. To that end, community spaces will:
   • Recognize the historical and ongoing influence of white supremacy in the medical field, and acknowledge our power and participation in this structure as a primarily white-founded organization. 
   • Center the experiences of Black, Indigenous, and people of color (BIPOC) clinicians, patients, and advocates.
   • Commit to ongoing reflection and growth, as well as calling in and supporting others in this process.
2. Indigenous Land and Territorial Acknowledgements
   • We acknowledge and pay respect to all the Indigenous communities who have stewarded the land, and to their ongoing cultural, spiritual, and intellectual contributions. The Reproductive Health Access Project was founded upon the exclusion and erasures of many Indigenous peoples and we are committed to collaborating with and centering the needs of Indigenous communities as we work toward dismantling the ongoing legacies of settler colonialism across the globe.
   • We encourage you to educate yourself on the history and ongoing brutality of genocide, apartheid, and mass displacement by colonial powers, and the ways in which white supremacy continues to oppress Indigenous peoples across the world within and beyond their place of work and residence. Land acknowledgments should be motivated by a genuine respect for Indigenous nations and communities. Read more about land acknowledgment on the Native Governance Center’s website.
     
   • To take it a step further, commit to research policies that will increase health equity for Native communities. To learn more about Reproductive Justice advocacy for Native and Indigenous peoples, visit Tewa Women United’s website.
3. Follow 501(c)3 advocacy guidelines
   • RHAP is a non-partisan 501(c)(3) organization. We therefore must abide by IRS guidelines to maintain tax-exempt status. 501(c)(3) organizations may engage in a range of advocacy activities, but are expressly prohibited from any partisan political activity on behalf of or in opposition to a specific candidate for public office. This includes public endorsement and fundraising such as sharing or hosting information about a fundraiser for a specific candidate or party using RHAP forums, or endorsing a candidate on behalf of RHAP or while serving as a representative of RHAP.
   • Read Bolder Advocacy’s Advocacy for Reproductive Rights toolkit on their website.
4. Gender-neutral and inclusive language. We recognize and celebrate sexual and reproductive health care as an essential part of health care for people of all genders.
   • Don’t assume someone else’s gender or pronouns, whether they are a colleague, patient, partner org, or anyone else connected to the space. 
   • When in doubt, use gender-neutral language or ask. Watch this Youtube video to learn more about why using the correct pronouns is important, and how to get started!
5. Avoid physician-centric language and exclusionary professional acronyms
   • Unless a topic is specific to physicians, use intentional language (“clinicians” in place of “doctors”) to be inclusive of the nurses, physician assistants, midwives, students, and other clinicians who are an essential part of this work.
   • When in a space with clinicians from different geographic and professional backgrounds, strive for clarity and inclusivity by using full phrases like Continuing Education instead of CE, Society of Teachers of Family Medicine instead of STFM, and so on.
   • Center purposeful inclusion by uplifting and respecting the expertise, skill sets, and knowledge of RHAP staff, community workers, organizers, doulas, health educators, and other professionals who work with and alongside us.
6. Be mindful of ableist terms and phrases
   • American culture and language have long excluded and othered people with disabilities. Though often inadvertent, the use of ableist language can be extremely damaging. It is important to find alternatives to words and expressions with roots in ableism, such as these examples from Autistic Hoya.
7. Virtual space e-tech-quette!
   • Mute yourself when you are not speaking, and listen to those who are with patience and respect.
   • For those comfortable, we encourage you to change your Zoom display name to: Name, pronouns, location during calls. 
   • While we appreciate when attendees keep their cameras on during video calls, please be respectful of the privacy of those who prefer not to do so. 
   • RHAP will ensure that closed captions are enabled for all of our Zoom meetings.

We welcome feedback! If you have any questions or other thoughts on our community agreements, please feel free to share with us at network@reproductiveaccess.org.