Photograph: Allison Bailey/Rex/Shutterstock
After last year’s ruling by the Supreme Court in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization, which ended our constitutional right to abortion, communities that already suffered barriers to health care became even more vulnerable. Given that not only medical, but religious and cultural practices related to reproductive health, including the right to an abortion, were going to be banned in the name of the new ruling, these disparities became especially true for Indigenous communities in the United States.
For centuries, Indigenous peoples have utilized the knowledge of medicinal plants throughout every stage of reproductive health care - including abortion - and as such the practices related to reproductive and sexual health – anything from menstruation, contraception, pregnancy, the birthing process, after birth, breast feeding, uterine health, and menopause – have become staples of Indigenous culture and traditions. Even if we decide to overlook the obvious cultural erasure of Indigenous people and the undelaying white colonial violence behind the overturn of Roe v Wade and attacks on our autonomy, existing medical studies and reports all point to a harsh reality when it comes to Indigenous people’s sexual and reproductive health.
According to a 2022 study published by Frontiers, a science research journal, Indigenous youth in the U.S. experience disproportionate sexual and reproductive health disparities relative to their non-Indigenous, white counterparts. The study shows how the teen birth rate among Indigenous people is 2 to 3 times higher than of white teens, STIs rates are up to 4.8 times higher for Indigenous youth of any gender, and young Indigenous women have a 6.6 times higher rate of contracting gonorrhea than white women -- as per Indigenous men, STIs rates are higher in Indigenous men than all other racial and ethnic men in the U.S. Not just that, but according to a well-known study done by the CDC Indigenous and Alaska Native women are two times more likely to die of pregnancy-related causes than white women and to experience sexual or interpersonal violence in their lifetime.
Additionally, after the Dobbs decision, several states with large tribal and urban Indigenous communities, including North Dakota, South Dakota, Wyoming, Idaho, and Oklahoma, have passed or introduced laws that ban or severely restrict abortion. Indigenous people on reservations seeking medical abortions or contraceptive care already face barriers - medical abortions and even Plan B pills are rarely available on reservation Indian Health Service centers - the overturn of Roe v. Wade only exacerbated all these barriers to access.
As a leading organization for sexual and reproductive health, Planned Parenthood of Greater New York supports Indigenous communities' right to reproductive freedom and justice. No matter who you are, your background, immigration status, or income, you are welcome to receive care at PPGNY. Together and with our partners, we commit to creating a New York where all communities can thrive.
This Thanksgiving Day is an opportunity to counter some of the colonial and genocidal values associate with the holiday by advocating for health care access for Indigenous people. Sister Song Women of Color Reproductive Justice Collective defines reproductive justice as “the right to have a child, not have a child, and raise the children we do have in safe and healthy communities.” There is no reproductive freedom in our nation without centering the lives and futures of Indigenous communities. Below we’re uplifting partner organizations that are doing the groundwork for Indigenous communities in New York and around the country:
Traditional Center for Indigenous Knowledge and Healing
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