In mid 2019, the Trump Administration instituted a nationwide gag rule on Title X funding. The new rule prioritizes natural family planning and abstinence, especially for adolescents, and imposes new barriers to abortion access.
In Our Own Voice’s Vice President of Government Affairs Jessica Pinckney spoke her truth as a guest on Jennie Wetter’s podcast RePROS Fight Back. She spoke about how the lack of access to quality abortion and maternal health care impacts Black Women.
Statement by In Our Own Voice: National Black Women’s Reproductive Justice Agenda and Black Women for Wellness
Today, the Department of Health and Human Services threatened to withhold federal funding from California if the state does not remove its requirement that private health insurance plans include abortion coverage. Marcela Howell, founder and president of In Our Own Voice: National Black Women’s Reproductive Justice Agenda, and Jan Robinson Flint, executive director of Black Women for Wellness, issued the following statement:
Statement from In Our Own Voice: National Black Women’s Reproductive Justice Agenda
Earlier this week, the U.S. Supreme Court rejected a challenge to a Kentucky law that forces doctors to describe ultrasound images and play fetal heartbeat sounds to patients seeking abortion. Marcela Howell, founder and president of In Our Own Voice: National Black Women’s Reproductive Justice Agenda, issued the following statement in response:
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Racine Tucker-Hamilton, In Our Own Voice: National Black Women’s Reproductive Justice Agenda
202.545.7660 or 301.922.8417
In response to the United States Supreme Court’s decision to grant certiorari in the June Medical Services, LLC v. Gee case, which challenges Louisiana’s admitting privileges law and, if allowed to take effect, would leave only ONE doctor to provide abortion care in the entire state, In Our Own Voice: National Black Women’s Reproductive Justice Agenda Founder and President, Marcela Howell and Women With A Vision Executive Director Deon Haywood, issued the following statement:
For Immediate Release: January 31, 2017
Contact: michelle@blackrj.org
Washington, D.C.–Today In Our Own Voice applauds the leadership and commitment of Representatives Barbara Lee (D-CA) and Jan Schakowsky (D-IL), along with 102 other members of Congress, for reintroducing the Equal Access to Abortion Coverage in Health Insurance (EACH Woman) Act. With the reintroduction they have made it clear that we will not go back, we will be bold and we will end Hyde so that all families have the opportunity to thrive.
Marcela Howell, Founder and Executive Director for In Our Own Voice: NationalBlack Women’s Reproductive Justice Agenda, had this to say:
“The EACH Woman Act ensures that all women, regardless of insurance, income or zip code, are able to make the life decisions that are best for themselves and their families. The bill removes the barriers that perpetuate stigma, shame and fear about abortion.
A new analysis from the Guttmacher Institute shows that more than half of women denied coverage for abortion under the Hyde Amendment are women of color. Other recent data show that while black women comprise only 14.9 percent of women of reproductive age, we make up 27.6 percent of abortion patients.
The reasons for these disparities are complex, and rooted in centuries of oppression. With the Supreme Court having ruled on the most significant abortion rights case in recent history, Whole Woman’s Health v. Hellerstedt, and the Hyde Amendment back in the news, it’s critical to understand the barriers to reproductive health that black women still face.
In statements quoted in Anti-abortion group pressuring Kaine, Marjorie Dannenfelser, president of the Susan B. Anthony List, perpetuates harmful myths about the Hyde Amendment, an annual budget policy rider that denies insurance coverage for abortion to women who receive their health care coverage from the government.
It’s time to get the facts straight. The reality is, voters oppose the 40-year-old policy. A poll from Hart Research Associates shows 86 percent of voters agree that “however we feel about abortion, politicians should not be allowed to deny a woman’s health coverage because she is poor.” People of all ages and political stripes share this view: 90 percent of voters ages 18 to 34, 84 percent of voters 65 and over, 79 percent of Republicans, and 94 percent of Democrats all agree.
Voters are not fooled and won’t be misled into supporting policies that threaten women’s health. Building on the momentum of the recent 5-3 Supreme Court decision in Whole Woman’s Health v. Hellerstedt, women of color of all ages are mobilizing across the country to take down the harshest remaining barrier to abortion access, namely the Hyde Amendment, and our movement is growing every day.
June 27 2016
Today the U.S. Supreme Court affirmed a woman’s constitutional right to make her own decisions about her health, family and future— no matter where she lives. By striking down the Texas law, HB2, the Court kept current clinics open in Texas, and set a precedent so that more clinics can open or reopen in the future.
“This is a win not just for women in Texas, but for women across the country,” stated Marcela Howell, founder and executive director for In Our Own Voice:National Black Women’s Reproductive Justice Agenda. “This decision sends a clear message to politicians set on denying women’s constitutional right to an abortion that these baseless and deceptive laws are unacceptable.”
Black women, young women, immigrant women and low-income women in Texas stand to benefit the most from this decision. The 725,000 Black women of reproductive age in Texas, plus the 12.5 million Black women in the other 20+ states with similar sham laws, will potentially be saved from higher costs, longer delays and extra steps when seeking an abortion thanks to the SCOTUS action.
Statement by Marcela Howell, Founder and Executive Director
“As President Obama concluded his last State of the Union, his message to the American people was clear, if a little unconventional. He set low expectation of working with the conservative-controlled Congress in his remaining months. However, he set high expectation for the American people. He issued a call to action for all Americans to take our future into our own hands – urging us to fulfill our civic duty by voting, engage in public service, and even protest.
