Brit Olam Reproductive Health & Rights Cohort: Action Opportunities

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Action Opportunities

The actions below are not intended to be an exhaustive list of ways to make change, rather serve as a guide or starting point. After determining with your community where your priorities lie, feel free to think creatively about the types of actions you would like to take. 

  1. Abortion Access
  2. Contraceptives and Family Planning
  3. Comprehensive Sex Education
  4. Federal Legislative Issues
  5. Community Opportunities

 

Abortion Access 

Recently, we have witnessed unprecedented efforts by states throughout the U.S. to severely restrict or ban abortion. While the overall number of anti-abortion bills introduced in U.S. states thus far in 2019 is essentially the same as in 2018, the nature of the recent bills is more harmful and restrictive than anything introduced previously.

There has been a rise in anti-abortion bills such as targeted regulation of abortion providers (TRAP) laws and fetal heartbeat laws – banning abortion once a fetal heartbeat is detected, which can be as early as six weeks’ gestation, earlier than many women even know they are pregnant.

Advocate for abortion access in your state or at the federal level. See what your state’s policies are here.

 

Steps to take to advocate for abortion access:

  1. Gather a team to research your state laws to identify if you will be promoting supportive laws or opposing hostile laws.
  2. Identify the state or local legislative issue you will be working on and continue to build your justice team, making sure to research the policy or legislative process that the issue go through.
     
  3. Identify the key targets – who are the decision makers that need to be contacted?
    • Consider the best ways to raise awareness in the community and the best time to bring the issue to the decision maker. It is important to lay the groundwork and show that there is community interest in this issue before meeting with the decision maker. This can then be referenced during the meeting with an elected official or decision maker.
       
  4. Plan a meeting with an elected official or decision maker. During this meeting, try to get a commitment from this individual to take a specific action. Identify if there are other elected officials or decision makers who you will need to meet with to move this issue forward.

 

Comprehensive Sexuality Education and Family Planning Services

Securing the legal right to an abortion is not enough. Comprehensive sex education, accessible and affordable contraception, and access to other family planning services are directly linked to reproductive justice. Without them, individuals cannot make informed decisions about their bodies, sexual activity, or futures. Advocate for comprehensive sexuality education and/or sex education funding in your local school district. See what your state’s sex-ed policies are here.

 

Steps to take to advocate for comprehensive sexuality education and family planning services:

  • Gather a team to research your state laws to identify if you will be promoting supportive laws or opposing hostile laws.
  • Identify the state or local legislative issue you will be working on and continue to build your justice team, making sure to research the policy or legislative process that the issue go through.
     
  • Identify the key targets – who are the decision makers that need to be contacted?
  • Consider the best ways to raise awareness in the community and the best time to bring the issue to the decision maker. It is important to lay the groundwork and show that there is community interest in this issue before meeting with the decision maker. This can then be referenced during the meeting with an elected official or decision maker.
     
  • Plan a meeting with an elected official or decision maker. During this meeting, try to get a commitment from this individual to take a specific action. Identify if there are other elected officials or decision makers who you will need to meet with to move this issue forward.

 

Federal Legislative Issues

  • The Women’s Health Protection Act (WHPA) assures the right to access abortion care free from bans, obstacles, and medically unnecessary restrictions not required for similar health care services (i.e. TRAP laws).
     
  • The EACH Woman Act promotes affordability of abortion care by eliminating federal coverage restrictions on abortion services. The EACH Woman Act would ensure that an individual’s access to abortion services is not dependent on their health insurance nor their income.

Learn more about how the Women’s Health Protection Act and EACH Woman Act work in tandem to promote abortion access and affordability through this helpful one-page resource.

 

Community Opportunities

 

  • Hold a fundraising event to raise money for your local abortion fund. Many people seeking abortion care face finacial, geographic, and other logistical barriers. Abortion funds help ease this burden. This may be an excellent time to discuss the intersection between reproductive rights and economic justice.

 

 

  • Host a menstrual hygiene product packing day to deliver to homeless shelters or domestic violence shelters. Sisterhood Congregation Rodeph Sholom in New York, NY received a 2018 WRJ Or Ami Award for their monthly Days for Girls program, creating reusable menstrual hygiene kits for women in New York City and around the world.