A Year in the Fight for Reproductive Rights
As we gear up for what will inevitably be a trying election year, it’s important to reflect on the strides we made in sexual and reproductive health in 2019. Throughout 2019, we saw endless challenges to our reproductive health care access, but try as they might to take us down, our community of reproductive freedom fighters banded together and fought like hell to stand up for our rights. Here are the top 10 moments that we’re celebrating!
#1: 2018 Elections Led to New York State’s Most Progressive Legislative Session Yet in 2019!
After a wildly successful 2018 New York State election, for the first time in ten years, New York State has a Democratic majority Assembly and Senate. Because of this, our lawmakers were able to pass several major pieces of legislation that protect and uplift vulnerable communities. The Gender Expression Non-Discrimination Act (GENDA) made it illegal to discriminate against people for their gender identity, and another bill outlawed youth conversion therapy. And legislation like the Green Light Bill, which allows all New Yorkers, regardless of immigration status, to attain a driver’s license. We also saw the passage of the New York DREAM Act, which extends state-funded scholarships to undocumented students. These were just a few of the many laws passed in 2019. Here’s to many more in 2020!
#2: New York State Passes the Reproductive Health Act
The Reproductive Health Act is so monumental it deserves its own separate recognition! In January, New York State the first state passed the most progressive piece of reproductive health legislation yet. This bill was 10 years in the making and was passed thanks to the effort of countless legislators, organizers, and advocates.
With this bill, Roe v. Wade was codified in the New York State constitution, protecting abortion access should Roe be overturned by the Supreme Court. Up until the passage of the RHA, abortion laws were categorized in criminal law, because of this, many healthcare providers feared criminal suits for performing abortions after 24 weeks. The RHA moves abortions to public health code where they belong and now healthcare professionals can provide necessary care without the fear of criminal suits. With so many abortion laws now being weaponized to challenge Roe v. Wade in the Supreme Court, the Reproductive Health Act helps ensure that no matter what, New Yorkers will have access to safe, affordable health care no matter what.
#3 NYC City Council Creates a City-Funded Abortion Fund
In response to the dozens of anti-abortion bills popping up nationwide, New York City did something unprecedented and created a city-funded abortion fund to help with the financial costs for New Yorkers seeking abortion care. The $250,000 fund is the first of its kind in the country and reaffirms NYC’s commitment to reproductive freedom for New Yorkers and beyond. New York City already allocates funds to Planned Parenthood, as well as city hospitals that perform abortions, but not for abortion care. This new funding takes a symbolic step forward to show the nation facing dozens of restrictive abortion laws what it looks like for governments to stand up for reproductive freedom.
#4 PPNYC Launches Radical Revival to Reckon With Organization Legacy
Planned Parenthood of New York City is committed to providing space for difficult conversations regarding the legacy our organization has been built upon. This fall, PPNYC launched a four-part series called Reviving Radical that centers the voices of Black, Brown, and indigenous communities as a means to reckon with our organization’s legacy and move forward to reimagine work within the communities we serve. Using an intersection of arts, culture, and activism, this series addresses the ways reproductive oppression affects Black, Brown, indigenous, trans and non-binary, and working-class communities differently.
#5 Reproductive Justice Gets the National Spotlight it Deserves
During the first Democratic Presidential Debate, Julián Castro was the only candidate to mention reproductive justice when the topic of reproductive health care came up — calling out how these bans affect trans people, non-binary folks, and people of color differently than white, cis women. This sparked widespread attention on this particular term and why it’s so important to be inclusive and intersectional when talking about reproductive freedom.
SisterSong, the collective that originally founded the term ‘reproductive justice’ has been at the forefront of this fight since the beginning. This year, the SisterSong Collective took the reproductive justice ideology all the way to the U.S. District Court in the case of SisterSong v. Kemp. This lawsuit was launched after Georgia passed one of the most restrictive abortion bans to date. The case is still waiting to be heard, but the fight is ongoing and ever-present and SisterSong is leading the way.
#6 21 Transgender Elected Officials are Now Serving Across the Country
This years’ special elections saw six transgender candidates ride to victory bringing the total number of transgender elected officials nationwide to 21. Though this number pales in comparison to their cis counterparts, the growing number of trans folks running for office and winning shows great strides toward wider representation in government. Winning spots in offices ranging from local City Council to School Boards, to state legislative chambers, it affirms the notion that representation matters. It’ll be exciting to see the results these elections yield. This will undoubtedly inspire future candidates to throw their hats in the ring and run.
#7 More Women Than Ever are Running for Office
Now more than ever, women are running for office. Better yet, they are running and winning. There are a plethora of grassroots organizations (Emily’s List, Run For Something, Higher Heights for America, Victory Institute, and Eleanor’s Legacy to name a few) dedicated to providing women with the necessary tools and knowledge to jump start their campaigns. The barriers women face to achieving equitable representation within the government may still be present, but each year the coalition of women grows and the barriers seem less and less intimidating. Because of these efforts, we got to witness a record-breaking 65 women win office this November in Virginia’s House of Delegates and State Senate. This is exactly the energy we need going into 2020.
#8 Music’s Biggest Performers Donate Concert Proceeds to Reproductive Health Care Organizations
In response to the alarming rate of abortion bans across the United States, some of music’s biggest performers took action and donated proceeds from their tours to the reproductive rights organizations at the forefront of the fight against these bans. Travis Scott donated all the money made from sales of his merch at an Alabama concert to Planned Parenthood, even taking to the stage to talk about what’s going on. Maggie Rodgers also donated the money from her merch sales to Alabama’s Yellowhammer Fund, which provides financial aid to those in need of abortion care. In response to Georgia’s abortion ban, Ariana Grande donated $250,000 to Planned Parenthood. We love to see it!
#9 Across the Country, States are Stepping Up for Black Parenthood
At a time when maternal mortality rates in the United States are higher than it’s been in decades, Black maternal health was brought to the forefront of this conversation. This matter affects Black women at a 4x higher rate than their white counterparts, and cities and states across the country are taking action to combat this crisis. States like our very own are expanding Medicare in the counties with the highest mortality rates to cover the costs of birthing doulas, taking a major step toward ensuring that socioeconomic status does not affect birth outcomes. Bills like the Maternal Care Access and Reducing Emergencies Act, reintroduced to the Senate this year by Kamala Harris, would not only implement health care coverage, but it would require hospitals to address implicit racial bias within the staff to initiate structural change. There is still a lot of work to be done, but these are very important steps.
#10 Young People are the Driving Force Behind the Climate Justice Movement
Gen Z may not yet be old enough to vote, but they have certainly proven that this will not hold them back from taking collective action to hold government officials accountable.
In September, 2,500 events took place globally to call out the dire circumstances of climate change by those who will face its effects the most — our youth. At the forefront of these actions are the youth of color who are experiencing firsthand effects of climate change in their communities. Groups like Uplift, an indigenous-led youth collective fighting to protect indigenous land, not only call officials to action, they also hold workshops to train young folks on the foundations of grassroots organizing. Youth-led #YouthGov filed a lawsuit in Oregon’s Federal Court suing the United State’s Government for its use of fossil fuels and “perpetuating climate chaos.”
Individual battles may have been lost, but rest assured that we WILL win the war for reproductive access. Going into 2020, we are smarter, better, and stronger than ever before. Let us be inspired by the action we saw in 2019 and carry that same energy into 2020 and beyond.
