Honoring Afro-Latin@s in celebration of Black History Month

This week marks the beginning of Black History Month.  During this month, we recognize the economic, historical, and social contributions made by the African American community. What started as “Negro History Week” in 1926, Black History Month has become recognized and widely celebrated on both a scholarly and commercial level since its official inception in 1976.

Here at the National Latina Institute for Reproductive Health, we want to take this opportunity to honor the struggles and triumphs of the millions of African Americans who have changed our world, and who perhaps paved the way for other activists to continue the fight for human rights.

As Latin@s, it is important to recognize and celebrate our own African heritage, and those among our community who are Afro-Latin@. Whether you identify yourself as Afro-Latin@ or Afro-Caribbean, we honor you for enriching our culture with intelligence, strength, and beauty. Here’s to mestizaje, bridge-building and a diverse and vibrant community!

For those of you in NYC, here is a list of events celebrating this month.

By Krystal Chan, Development and Communications Intern

Thanks for the budget President Obama, but isn’t 33 years of Hyde enough??

On Monday, President Obama delivered the proposed budget for fiscal year 2011 to Congress.

We are grateful that the Administration has expanded federal funds for Title X family planning programs and clinics, which invest in reproductive health and wellness for Latinas and immigrant women and provide reproductive health care to many Latinas.  Latinas have the highest uninsured rate of women of any other racial or ethnic group, at 37%, and it is critical that during our national economic crisis we continue to offer an essential source of reproductive health and preventative services, especially for low-income women.

It is also good news that the President has increased funding for evidence-based sex education and for community health centers, which are an essential source of reproductive and preventive health care for low-income Latinas and immigrant women.

However, we are deeply disappointed with the President’s decision to preserve the harmful provision known as the Hyde Amendment in the FY 2011 budget.  A woman’s ability to access a legal, safe abortion remains under attack, and as evidenced by health care reform debates, the Hyde Amendment only serves as ammunition.  Over a quarter of women on Medicaid are Latinas, and low-income Latina and immigrant women are disproportionately impacted by restrictions to abortion access.  Preserving this provision will enable a politically-motivated barrier to continue and restricts safe, legal abortions for poor women.

While it is important to recognize that the budget includes some victories for reproductive health access, it is also crucial to speak out against provisions that prevent true reproductive justice. Basta! 33 years is enough!

After only 37 Minutes, a Jury Convicted Dr. George Tiller’s Murderer

Today, after only 37 minutes of deliberation, a jury of Scott Roeder’s peers rightfully found him guilty of first-degree murder in the death of Dr. George R. Tiller.

For years, extreme members of the anti-choice community have used threats of violence against reproductive health care clinics in an attempt to limit women’s legal reproductive rights. Today’s decision is an affirmation that abortion providers have the support of the justice system. And, I hope, the decision will discourage other anti-choice fanatics from thinking about following in Roeder’s footsteps.

The National Latina Institute for Reproductive Health just released a statement in response to Roeder’s jury conviction. Here is an excerpt:

“Dr. Tiller was a faithful champion for women’s reproductive health in spite of the threats and constant intimidation he and his family faced. He recognized that women facing difficult health decisions need comfort and care, and placed the health and well-being of his patients above his own personal safety concerns. It is fitting that Dr. Tiller often wore a ‘Trust Women’ button.

“Our thoughts are with his family as they continue to mourn their loss. We are also hopeful that the conclusion of this trial will aid his congregation, which endured this violent murder in their sanctuary, as they continue their healing process.”

Securing Real Choices Means Going Beyond “Choice”

By Silvia Henriquez

RH Reality Check

Friday, January 22, 2010

This post is part of RH Reality Check’s “What Does Choice Mean to You?” series commemorating the 37th anniversary of Roe v. Wade.

I was a junior in high school the first time I understood the political meaning of the term pro-choice. My very progressive, feminist “herstory” teacher organized a school trip to attend the 1992 abortion rights march in Washington DC. Sadly I was unable to go, but I eagerly made feminist signs, created slogans, and supported my friends who did attend. I soaked in everything about the abortion rights movement.  It was a turning point in my political consciousness.

The health care reform fight continues, but your voices are being heard!

The ongoing effort to reform our health care system received a shock on Tuesday with Scott Brown’s upset win against Martha Coakley in the Massachusetts Senate election race to replace the late Edward M. Kennedy Jr.. This means that Democrats no longer have the filibuster-proof 60-seat majority to pass health care reform as planned, and are currently in the process of re-assessing their efforts and strategies.

Several options have been put forward, but it is as-of-yet unclear what strategy will prevail. The Speaker of the House, Nancy Pelosi, has already announced that the House will not adopt the Senate bill, a strategy that would have avoided another vote in the Senate. The Senate version of the health care reform legislation includes the problematic Nelson-Casey provision that would place tremendous bureaucratic obstacles for abortion to be included in insurance packages in the Exchange. Additionally, the Senate bill would not allow undocumented persons to purchase health insurance from the Exchange with their own money. Another option, one put forward by President Obama, would be to pass a smaller, pared-down bill that encompasses some “core elements” of the reforms currently being proposed. Yet another option would rely on the budget reconciliation process. What has become clear, however, is that lawmakers are operating under different circumstances than they were before the Massachusetts election results.

Staff from the National Latina Institute for Reproductive Health (NLIRH) visited the offices of key legislators this week, and we will continue to work towards the best possible package. Legislators said they have received a record number of phone calls and letters from our activists on the ground and in their districts. We must sincerely thank you for your support and continued hard work – your voices are being heard.

As we commemorate the 37th Anniversary of Roe vs. Wade, it is critical for us to advance a national reproductive justice agenda. We will continue to update you as this situation develops, and continue to demand that health care reform not be passed on the backs of women and immigrants. ¡Que siga la lucha!

In Solidarity,

The NLIRH staff

P.S. Check out some of our recent media hits related to health care reform!

RH Reality Check: “Securing Real Choices Means Going Beyond “Choice”

Silvia Henriquez, NLIRH Executive Director on GritTV

Houston Chronicle: “Now is the time for Latinas to speak up!”

CNN.com: “Latinas need a voice in the abortion debate”

New York Times Letter to the Editor by Silvia Henriquez

La Lucha Sigue, 37 Years After Roe

Join the National Latina Institute for Reproductive Health as we commemorate the 37th anniversary of Roe v. Wade with a happy hour featuring delicious Latin American wine and hors d’oeuvres. As we honor this milestone in the fight for women’s lives and health, we are also aware of how far we are from the promise of Roe. This event will be an opportunity for reproductive justice and rights advocates to gather and reflect on the struggle to ensure a world in which every woman is able to make her own decision free of danger, fear, and stigma.  Legalizing abortion was an important step forward. Join us in solidarity against the setbacks within the health care reform debate!

Date: Thursday, January 28, 2010
Time: 5:30-7:30pm
Location: Financial District, New York, New York 10004 (exact location of the event will be emailed to you separately)

Click Here to RSVP
by Wednesday, January 27, 2010

Questions?
Contact Krystal Chan: intern7@latinainstitute.org or 212.422.2553

NLIRH Statement on Health Care Reform

The fight for health care reform has reached its last stage, and the bills passed by the House and the Senate are currently being merged by Democratic leadership.  It has been long and it has been tough, and now we are advocating for the best possible result even though closed-door meetings have replaced an open conference process.   Our efforts have not led us where we would have liked given the momentous opportunity that health care reform presented.  Certainly, the final bill will contain a number of key provisions that will improve the way people access health care by ending pre-existing conditions exclusions, expanding Medicaid, and ending gender-rating (the practice of charging women more than men for similar policies).  Although we knew from the beginning that this legislation would not create a system of truly universal health care, we dedicated our best efforts into improving reform options for Latinas and their families.

Activists and staff from the National Latina Institute for Reproductive Health (NLIRH) have been engaging legislators in DC and in their home districts on a weekly basis with visits, letters and phone calls. We are reminding them that Latinas do want and need abortion coverage, and that immigrant families must be able to access the health care system.

We will not stand silent as this battle is fought on the bodies of women and immigrants. For the past several years NLIRH has been fighting to repeal the Hyde amendment, which prohibits federal funding for abortion coverage, except in the case of rape, incest or life endangerment of a woman. Though the amendment offered by Rep. Lois Capps (D-CA) in the House bill represented a compromise that maintained the status quo established by the Hyde Amendment, it was a compromise we were willing to make so that the health care reform process would not come to a halt.  For some in Congress, the painful concession in Capps was not enough. The amendment offered by Rep. Bart Stupak (D-MI) in the House and the “compromise” by Senator Ben Nelson (D-NE) in the Senate stopped just short of banning abortion coverage in private insurance policies.  If either Stupak or Nelson’s provisions are included in the final bill, health care reform will enact some of the most egregious and detrimental setbacks to abortion rights since the seventies.  Latinas, immigrants, and women of color are deeply affected by any language restricting abortion access.  Because women of color and immigrants are disproportionately poor, they are less likely to be able to pay for reproductive care out-of-pocket, which puts them at risk for seeking alternative, unsafe abortion methods.

NLIRH will continue to advocate for real and meaningful health care reform.  We are still working tirelessly by organizing our base and reaching out to key legislators to let them know that women and immigrants must not be left out. Thank you for your continued support – we cannot do this without you.  La lucha sigue!

In solidarity,
The NLIRH team

Executive Director Silvia Henriquez on GRITtv

Is the H1N1 vaccine a reproductive justice issue?

Today I was able to attend a meeting of the secretary of Health and Human Services, Kathleen Sebelius, with City University of New York faculty and staff at Hunter College. At first I was disappointed that we were only going to discuss the HHS efforts to provide the H1N1 vaccine to all Americans, but as I learned more I understood that the nation’s response to pandemics like H1N1 is important for Latina reproductive health and wellbeing.

Keeping our Sisters and Brothers in Haiti in our Thoughts and Prayers

As the world already knows, a 7.0 magnitude earthquake struck Haiti yesterday afternoon near Port-au-Prince, the capital and largest city of the country. The earthquake, the strongest to hit Haiti in more than 200 years, devastated the 2 million people who live in and near the capital. According to some reports, the death toll could possibly run between 100,000 to 500,000…and untold numbers are still trapped. But, 80% of Haiti’s 9 million residents were already desperately poor, and after years of political instability, the country had no real construction standards to begin with. Tens of thousands of families lost their homes as buildings that were “flimsy and dangerous even under normal conditions” collapsed in the earthquake. As Edwidge Danticat, the award-winning Haitian-American author said, “Life is already so fragile in Haiti, and to have this on such a massive scale, it’s unimaginable how the country will be able to recover from this.”