As the U.S. recently celebrated the 44th Anniversary of Roe V. Wade on January 22, the very next day Donald Trump took U.S. global funding from organizations that provide abortion-related services. The policy is from the Ronald Regan era that strips foreign aid to health providers abroad who discuss abortion as a family-planning option.
Ironically President Barack Obama overturned the ban on January 23, 2009. President Trump just took us back.
“There’s no question that we’re facing unprecedented challenges for justice, for human rights, and of course for women’s health,” said Congresswoman Barbara Lee (CA-13). “Already, President Trump, along with Speaker Ryan and their Republican cronies are trying to roll back the clock on our hard-fought progress.”
This move highly concerns many pro-choice organizations, as Trump moves to honor campaign promises to Evangelicals and Republicans. Their main goal, to abolish Plan Parenthood funding and advance the Pro-Life movement. A March for Life-pro-life rally is scheduled in Washington on January 27, a non-official response to the recent historic Women’s March on Washington.
“Laws that ban abortion coverage or push care out of reach fall hardest on low-income people and Black women. Evidence from Texas and across the South already shows us that when reproductive health care isn’t available, Black women suffer and die. What Trump doesn’t realize is that our movement to trust Black women and value Black lives is growing—and we refuse to let him take us backward,” said Monica Simpson, Executive Director, SisterSong: Women of Color Reproductive Justice Collective (based in Atlanta, GA).
Low income communities will be affected most by anti-abortion laws. Conservative states continue to create hurdles or cut funding to health clinics that provide abortion counseling and services. “Black women living in the South already bear the brunt of too many unjust policies: the hundreds of new restrictions on abortion care, access, and coverage, refusal to expand Medicaid and now the dismantling of any opportunity to obtain health care and basic services, and perpetuating generational sexual health ignorance by restricting our children from scientifically accurate, age-appropriate comprehensive sexuality education,” said Cherisse Scott, Founder & CEO, SisterReach (based in Memphis, TN). “Meanwhile, Black women continue to show our voter loyalty to a country that won’t even ensure that our labor will afford us a living wage, safe housing, or public schools in our communities. This incoming administration is in for a rude awakening from Black women. We will resist, we will not take oppression quietly, and we will use our voices and our votes to dismantle every attack against ourselves, our families and our communities.”
Janette Robinson Flint, Executive Director, Black Women for Wellness (based in Los Angeles, CA) went further by stating, “Black women have no expectations from Trump, Pence, and the bullies in Congress to bring attention and resources to this national disgrace nor to reach Healthy People 2020 goals of reducing maternal mortality to 11 per 100,000. Rather than focusing on improving Black women’s access to health care, this new administration is in the process of repealing access to the healthcare services and treatment for women and girls currently covered by the Affordable Care Act.”
The first action in the Woman’s March movement is to write your U.S. congress and let them know how you feel about issues that impact you. If the issue concerns you visit https://www.womensmarch.com.
