
Public Domain
Many questions surround the future of women's control over their own bodies in light of recent legislation in some states.
Questions abound over the murky future of women's health and reproductive rights, and the Santa Fe chapter of the ACLU is trying to give some answers via a meeting scheduled for Wednesday June 26 at the Center for Progress and Justice, co-sponsored by the Santa Fe Indian Center and the Santa Fe chapter of the National Organization for Women.
"This will be a discussion of what are the needs of the Santa Fe community as far as reproductive rights are concerned," Karen Buller, vice president of the Santa Fe Indian Center board and Santa Fe ACLU board member, tells SFR.
Buller says the ACLU was spurred by the March failure of HB 51—which would have repealed a decades-old, dormant ban on abortion—in the Democrat-controlled New Mexico Senate.
"We wanted to know what our community was thinking and have a discussion with them," Buller explains, promising that the conversation will be "broad-reaching" as far as subject matter goes. Attendees will be invited to ask questions about the current state or future of reproductive health in New Mexico and raise concerns about what can be done to meet their needs. The evening's conversation will be guided by four panelists:
- Attorney and ACLU New Mexico President Frank Susman, who has courtroom experience on numerous reproductive health issues, will speak about the issues surrounding the possible repeal of Roe v Wade by the Supreme Court.
- Head of the Committee for Reproductive Rights at Santa Fe NOW, Janet Gotkin, will provide background on the history of women’s health care to give context to how things arrived at their current state.
- Kayla Herring, public affairs manager for Planned Parenthood Santa Fe, will educate participants on the organization’s services.
- Dr. Emily Haozous of the Santa Fe Indian Center will provide information and statistics that compare the reproductive health of Native American women to those of their white counterparts, to shed light on the extra challenges faced by native women in obtaining healthcare.
And while HB 51's failure won't be a focus of the discussion, Buller imagines community members will have questions about it. If the feds overturn Roe v Wade, the antiquated state law would stand in its place and move the state's abortion access backward.
"There's a lot of curiosity about what's going to happen to us," she explains. "We thought we were in a safe place, but the legislation going on in different states and with the present national administration, people feel scared. And so we need to talk about what could happen, what we can do to protect ourselves and our daughters."
The conversation is open to all, and Buller believes that everyone— not just women— can benefit from participating, because we all have someone in our lives who's impacted by the changing landscape of women's health and reproductive rights.
"People who want to make sure that the best healthcare is provided for those [women] and also that women have the right to say what's done to their own bodies," she emphasizes, "anyone who supports that—man or woman—should attend."
Honoring Your Choice—What's New? Community Discussion
7 pm, Wednesday June 26. Free. Center for Progress and Justice, 1420 Cerrillos Road, 983-2878