“Young, Black and brown voters are the most impacted by reproductive justice issues — it’s our families that are torn apart by the criminal justice system, our mothers who are most likely to die in childbirth, our elderly that are denied health care, our children that live in food deserts,” Watkins said.
Watkins believes mobilization on the state and local levels, inclusive of communities of color, will be critical to advancing reproductive justice, as federal legislation like the Women’s Health Protection Act , which would protect reproductive health providers’ right to provide care, and toothless pledges from Congressional Democrats and the White House to “codify,” stagnate. That’s why URGE is particularly focused on state and local elections and ballot measures this year — and it’s not alone.
State Innovation Exchange’s Reproductive Freedom Leadership Council trains and supports state legislators across the country who are championing abortion access and reproductive freedom in their legislatures, which have been sites for both some of the most repressive and progressive abortion laws in the country.
“To mobilize a base can’t be the only strategy — the strategy should be, how do we ensure that we have healthy communities? We need abortion access for that,” Driver said. “It’s not just about getting people to vote, it’s about saving our communities.
While state legislatures present a critical avenue to enact legislative change that pregnant people may experience most directly in their day-to-day lives, mutual aid and community care have always existed to bridge the gaps of government shortcomings, and the systemic neglect of poor people of color.
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