Latinas and Reproductive Health
On Monday morning I attended a media briefing at Planned Parenthood where we discussed Latinas and reproductive health. It was great meeting so many Latina journalists and bloggers who are passionate about providing reproductive services to Latinas and women in general, be it birth control, abortions, cancer screenings, or sexual and reproductive health information. I think reproductive health is extremely important and should be at the forefront of everyone’s activism no matter what gender or sexuality. Sharing personal stories is one way of starting a conversation about this and there were many at our meeting. It was interesting to hear Galina Espinoza’s (Latina magazine’s editor in chief and co-president) story of how her father was such a forward thinking individual and yet when it came to his daughter’s sexuality, he couldn’t have been more conservative. The women in my family got abortions through Planned Parenthood and despite the fact that they refuse to call themselves feminists, I believe that going to Planned Parenthood is a politicized and feminist act in itself.
I learned a lot about their initiative, Birth Control Matters, which is an effort to make prescription birth control available without copays, enable women to choose the method that works best for them, and reduce the number of unintended pregnancies. Latinas in their prime childbearing years, age 18–34, are the most likely of all women to periodically skip taking their prescription birth control because they cannot afford the insurance co-payments. That’s why this is important and I encourage everyone to sign the petition (click above).
Here are some interesting facts that are very important to be aware of:
- Latinas have the highest uninsured rate (38 percent) of any racial or ethnic group, and more than 20 percent of Latinas live in poverty.
- In 2009, 23% of Planned Parenthood clients were Latinos – more than 620,000 people.
- Between 2000 and 2009, total Latino clients increased by 39%, with a 191% increase in male Latino clients
- Planned Parenthood’s local partners in 10 countries – including Costa Rica, Ecuador, Guatemala, Nicaragua, and Peru – serve 1.2 million individuals.
- The Planned Parenthood En Espanol website receives an estimated 737,000 visits each year.
- 97% of services that Planned Parenthood provides are preventative.
It is the unfortunate misconception that all that Planned Parenthood does is provide abortions. They do much more than that. They provide health care, education, advocacy, and are very involved in global health. Please take action, get involved, and let others know about what Planned Parenthood is working on.
