Abortion And The Women 's Health Promotion

In the news article “Abortion: Every Woman’s Rights” Sharon Smith wrote an article about women’s rights to get abortions prior to the hearing of the Planned Parenthood v. Casey court case, “which threatened to severely restrict women access to abortion” (Smith). Women wanted reproductive control over their lives and felt that they were not equal to men no matter what advances they got at work and how high their level of education was. The women’s right movement wanted women to have the choice of abortion for all women, the rich and the poor. In the US, thirty- seven states did not provide

Planned Parenthood is an organization that provides healthcare and education to both men and women, having over 650 health centers that provide healthcare to countless communities around the world. Shockingly, 78% of those who use Planned Parenthoods services live at or below 150% of the federal poverty line, showing how important this organization is to low-income families (Topulos, Greene, Drazen). Their mission statement is “A Reason for Being”, which is shown through their efforts to provide health care, advocate public policies, create educational programs, and endorse research. There are those who do not believe Planned Parenthood should be funded by the government, though, due to the fact that they provide abortions to women in need. Studies show that the effects of not having Planned Parenthood available are disastrous, causing low-income families to lack a healthcare provider and the number of those who are infected with STD’s and STI’s to rise. The biggest concern communities have about the government defunding Planned Parenthood is the effects that it would have on low-income families who would no longer have access to something that many people take for granted: health care. Although many believe that Planned Parenthood mostly provides abortions, in reality, only 3% of the people that seek help from them receive an abortion, while 97% receive affordable and, in many cases,

Abortion policy has been shifting throughout American history as American views have simultaneously transitioned from more conservative to more liberal. Doctors, specifically regular physicians, have surprisingly guided the discussion surrounding abortion in the most influential way. Their power, in particular, their medical expertise, has allowed them to take hold of the issue and push against abortion from a medical stance. As a result of the change in traditionalistic views, the power the doctors held for a long time was taken by women, and abortion simultaneously became not an issue of health, but one questioning morality as well as a woman’s right to choose: pro-life and pro-choice. In America, abortion policy has transitioned from an issue of health and morality to one of women’s rights over time due to the power shifting from doctors to women as a result of modernization and the change in how Americans saw religion; this shift in turn impacting how the abortion issue’s sides are defined and how the issue is argued.

Women having been fighting for equal rights for many years. Because of our genitalia, we will be paid less, we will be judged more, and we will have to fight to protect our basic human rights. Most women are born with the amazing ability to carry life; this is a blessing and a curse. Because of this ability, some people believe that a woman’s body is not completely her own, but that the government has rights to that body as well. We have been fighting to control our own bodies for many years. All women must understand that fighting for our reproductive rights is not just a simple pro-life or pro-choice battle, but a complex fight to teach proper sex education, maintain women’s health facilities, and protect our essential human rights.

The Women’s March on January 21, 2017 also stirred the emotions of American citizens, for different reason. The vast response to the March throughout the country left some wondering why such action was needed, when women’s rights have come such a long way from when the US was founded. Those unware of the March’s mission are likely unaware that it was centered around many principles including: ending violence, LQBTQIA rights, worker’s rights, civil rights, disability rights, immigrant rights, environmental justice, and reproductive rights (Women’s March, 2017). The focus on reproductive right’s centered on reproductive freedom and an access to quality reproductive healthcare services, birth control, HIV/AIDS care and prevention, medically accurate sexuality education, and access to safe, legal, affordable abortion (Women’s March,2017). Access to abortion is an issue that varies state to state, similar to the issue of gun regulation.

Over a hundred years later, Planned Parenthood still operates under the goal of providing comprehensive reproductive health care services to women. This provision of a full range of reproductive services has been deemed in a study by the American Congress of Obstetricians and Gynecologists and National Partnership for Women and Families to be “essential not only to their health and well-being but also to their ability to pursue an education, hold jobs, support their families, achieve economic security, and function as a free and equal member of society” (Lawrence). The study goes on to say that “without access to the full range of reproductive health services, all that is in jeopardy.” (Lawrence). Planned Parenthood will no longer be able to fulfill its mission of providing a full range of reproductive services if the current federal government achieves their goal of overturning Roe v. Wade. Lawrence, the author of the study, also describes a need for “health care decisions based on patient’s health and needs rather than insurance coverage or payment capabilities.” An interesting point is presented here in that if Planned Parenthood concedes its abortion services, there is no guarantee that whatever organization fills in that gap will do so honestly. There is no other organization so committed to the concept of family planning and reproductive services that they do not run the risk of providing inadequate

Women’s rights have always been underestimated. One aspect of women’s rights that receives a lot of attention is reproductive rights. Often times, people think of reproductive rights and automatically think of abortion, but, reproductive rights can include many things like abortion and birth control/ contraceptives, etc. Although reproductive rights are for both men and women, women often have a harder time exercising their rights. The famous 1973 case of Roe v. Wade made history in women’s reproductive rights by legalizing abortion, its efforts for abortion to not be criminalized were reached and allowed women to receive abortions without being criminalized. Yet, since 1973 there has been many efforts that set up undue burdens which have strained the rights of many women. There have been many social groups that work towards both side of the spectrum of reproductive rights like: Pro-Choice and Pro-Life. Campaigns, which work as political or social organizers that strive towards achieving a particular thing or area, have made the efforts to fight for the reproductive rights that they believe in. Furthermore, there are many key campaigns that work towards a specific aspect of reproductive rights. For example, Planned Parenthood Action typically fights for birth control, while NRLA usually fights for the rights of women to be able to decided if they want the abortion or not, the National Right to Life (NRLC) fights for abortions to be illegal and tries to influence people into

Throughout American history, women have faced many challenges to earn equal rights in almost all aspects of life. Although changes have been made, today there are still battle to be won. One of these issues is the struggle for improving reproductive rights. Women are often judged for their maternal decisions, whether that is in choosing surrogacy, abortion, and even those who choose different forms of contraception. Over the years, Planned Parenthood and other health services have recieved a negative connotation for what services they provide, especially on the basis of providing abortion services. With our new president in office, women are concerned that their reproductive rights, such as the right to have an

Power is an important force within the world of public policy, as change in power results in a change of perspective and policy. Abortion policy exemplifies the role of power in the policy process; abortion policy has been shifting throughout American history as American views have simultaneously transitioned from more conservative to more liberal. Doctors, specifically regular physicians, have guided the discussion surrounding abortion in the most influential way for the longest time. Their power, in particular, their medical expertise, has allowed them to take hold of the issue and push against abortion from a medical stance. As a result of the change from traditional views to more contemporary ones, the power the doctors held was taken by women, and abortion simultaneously became not an issue of health, but one regarding a woman’s right to choose: pro-life and pro-choice. In America, abortion policy has transitioned from an issue of health and morality to one of women’s rights over time due to the power shifting from doctors to women as a result of modernization and the change in how Americans saw religion; this shift in turn impacting how the abortion issue’s sides are defined and how the issue is argued in the realm of public policy.

Reproductive health is aimed at giving an individual a sound state of mind to be liberal in an active sexual and reproductive process of fertility. This analysis has been women-centered to support women's rights and their perspective toward their reproductive health needs by providing health advocates, promote laws, and implement policies, research and services with an interest in women's health.

The Center for Reproductive Rights is an organization that dedicates itself to the advancement of law to protect and ensure that women globally have “access to the best reproductive healthcare available; where every woman can exercise her choices without coercion or discrimination.” (“About Us.”, n.d.) Furthermore, the Center for Reproductive Rights works in more than fifty countries to bring awareness to and advocate for a verity of topics ranging from safe and affordable contraception and abortion, healthy pregnancy, and the protection of those in vulnerable positions such as young people and those with communicable diseases. (“Our Issues.”, n.d.) The organization has achieved a myriad of policy and legal accomplishments in the twenty years

Since the late 19th century, women’s reproductive health choices in the United States have become increasingly controlled (Solinger, 2013). Abortion, contraceptives, sterilization and even pregnancy itself have become biological processes (Foucault, 2003) that place women in the public eye; their choices becoming the targets of policy and regulation (Solinger, 2013; Foucault, 2003). When these regulations are crafted, the assumption behind them is that they will affect all women equally (Pruitt & Vanegas, 2015). However, there are various factors that change the way that policy and regulation of reproductive health affect women. My dissertation topic will focus on how biopolitical control of specific groups of women is achieved through broadly applied legislation targeting reproductive health. This includes legislation that targets access to abortion, defunds reproductive health care access providers such as Planned Parenthood, and that further medicalizes birth. My theoretical frameworks will center on the work of Patricia Hill Collins and Michel Foucault.

Women all over the world are constantly fighting for their rights. People might ask why they continue fighting if they’ve been given the same opportunities as men. Although there has been an improvement for women’s rights in the past, they are still facing discrimination and are trying to be stripped of their reproductive rights. America is seen as the progressive country full of opportunity that has so much to offer, but since President Trump was elected into office, his election came with many changes in the US that affected many people, including women. His plan to defund organizations such as Planned Parenthood raised a huge uproar within the female community. This also means that Planned Parenthood would be defunded in countries internationally.

Women make up just slightly over half the U.S population (US Census Bureau, 2010) and should not be even considered a part of a minority group. The female population should acquire the same equal research attention as men do, especially when it comes to health issues. The unavoidable, yet quite simple realities of breastfeeding, menstruation, menopause, along with pregnancy require special scrutiny from medical experts. Those medical specialties are generally referred as gynecologists or obstetrics, who focus on the exclusive needs of a female’s reproductive health throughout their lifespan. Historically, the health needs of women have been disregarded as well as their fundamental rights. However, over the past few decades, it has grabbed the media and the government’s attention causing some major changes in support of women’s rights and health care.

Throughout the course of history, the field of healthcare has always been in a state of flux; however, healthcare has also had one steady aspect and that is women have always been at a disadvantage when it comes to traversing the system. Women have and still do face many obstacles within the health care system. These obstacles include research androcentrism, medicalization, gender stereotyping, reproductive rights, differential treatment, and fertility issues, among others… These obstacles must be explored and analyzed in order to better help women navigate the healthcare system and to support women’s rights in the present and future.