Women must continue to raise voices for reproductive freedoms, writer says

As we celebrate Independence Day, it is chilling to consider that our fundamental rights are at greater risk than they have been in the history of our organization. Health Imperatives has been providing safe, affordable reproductive health care and other critical services in Southeastern Massachusetts for nearly 50 years. We work in partnership with the people we serve, other community-based organizations, and state agencies to identify and address gaps in service delivery.

To this end, one year ago, on July 5, we began offering medication abortion in our seven clinics in Hyannis, Brockton, New Bedford, Wareham, Plymouth, Martha’s Vineyard, and Nantucket. Until then, southeastern Massachusetts was considered an “abortion desert” due to the lack of service providers in the area. The nearest abortion clinic was over 100 miles away, a prohibitively far distance for anyone let alone most of the people we serve who are disproportionately impacted by poverty, discrimination, and trauma. For them, traveling over 100 miles to receive an abortion was not always feasible due to the inability to take time off from work, a lack of transportation and childcare, language barriers and financial difficulties. As a result of these barriers, many women sacrificed necessary healthcare, including abortion.

We are grateful to the Healey/Driscoll Administration, the Massachusetts Legislature, and our congressional delegation for their unwavering commitment to protecting the rights, health, and economic security of all Massachusetts residents. A few weeks ago, Gov. Healey signed an Executive Order on the two-year anniversary of the overturning of Roe v. Wade, clarifying Massachusetts law and reaffirming the state’s commitment to ensuring that anyone who needs abortion care in Massachusetts will be able to access it.

During a challenging time in our country, they have taken bold, necessary action to preserve our rights and health. They have enacted laws to protect patients and health care providers and have allocated state funding for critical care. And they have sounded the alarm. As many other states continue to control women’s fundamental rights and jeopardize their health and economic security by restricting access, Massachusetts is leading the way for reproductive justice in America by expanding access to abortion care.

Earlier this month, the state launched a first-in-the-nation campaign to combat anti-abortion centers, also known as “crisis pregnancy centers,” which pose a significant risk to reproductive freedom in Massachusetts. Outnumbering comprehensive reproductive health clinics by more than two to one, these centers purport to offer the full spectrum of reproductive healthcare. Yet the reality is that the majority often mislead pregnant people about their options to prevent them from accessing abortion care. All too often patients come to us in crisis after getting misleading or incorrect information from one of these centers. Massachusetts’ groundbreaking campaign to combat these facilities takes a crucial step towards health equity by ensuring that people know where to get the health care they need and deserve.

Still, rising costs and unprecedented need threaten Massachusetts’ ability to provide comprehensive, high quality health care for all. Approximately 50% of the people Health Imperatives services are uninsured or underinsured, and therefore not covered for preventive health care. Most of our patients struggle to meet their basic needs and as the cost of living in Massachusetts continues to rise, health and economic disparities are worsening. Health Imperatives is committed to doing everything we can to ensure people in our communities have the education and resources they need to be healthy, safe, strong, and empowered. Massachusetts can reduce growing health and wealth disparities by continuing to champion health equity by investing in comprehensive health care for all.

In the meantime, as women nationwide are witnessing their fundamental rights diminish, we must continue raising our voices to advocate for accessible, affordable sexual and reproductive health care for people across the country. As the larger political landscape is increasingly volatile and abortion rights and reproductive freedoms are at risk across the country, including here in Massachusetts, Health Imperatives is proud to play a role in ensuring Massachusetts remains a haven for reproductive freedom. We stand ready to help women seeking abortion from states that have restricted or criminalized these rights – and we are proud to do it alongside our public officials who make Massachusetts the best place in the country to do this work.

Julia Kehoe is President & CEO of Health Imperatives, a nonprofit organization that improves the health, safety and economic security of low-income and vulnerable individuals and families in communities throughout southeastern Massachusetts including Brockton, Hyannis, Martha’s Vineyard, Nantucket, New Bedford, Plymouth, and Wareham. www.healthimperatives.org

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