The Pillars of Equity

The political environment has shifted under the Trump-Pence administration and the anti-choice majority in Congress. Reproductive health and rights are under full attack through efforts to repeal the Affordable Care Act, restrict access to abortion, and confirm an anti-choice U.S. Supreme Court just...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Policy File 2017
Main Authors: Williamson, Heidi, Bahn, Kate, Taylor, Jamila
Format: Report
Language:English
Subjects:
Center for American Progress
Economic policy
Government
Health care policy
Social conditions & trends
Women
Online Access:Request full text
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Summary:The political environment has shifted under the Trump-Pence administration and the anti-choice majority in Congress. Reproductive health and rights are under full attack through efforts to repeal the Affordable Care Act, restrict access to abortion, and confirm an anti-choice U.S. Supreme Court justice. It is all the more important therefore to articulate the complex nature of women's lives today and their role as key contributors to American society. Women's economic contributions often depend on having access to comprehensive reproductive health services, as well as to education, jobs with livable wages, and workplace supports. In the U.S. political and public discourse, connections between women's health and family economic stability are often obscured, ignored, or dismissed. The political debate is regularly reduced to either family planning or abortion, but reproductive health and rights encompasses a continuum of health services and legal protections that bolster all areas of their lives. This report argues that reproductive health, rights, and justice must be integral to a successful, 21st-century economic agenda. The United States must acknowledge and focus on the mutually reinforcing ways in which reproductive health and economic empowerment help both women and the economy thrive. This report proposes policy recommendations for federal and state policymakers to help women achieve economic security and reproductive justice in tandem.