Social Justice Demands Public Assistance for Abortion Care
What I appreciated the most about Sara Hutchinson Ratcliffe’s “My Own Public Funding Story” (Vol. XXXVI, No. 2) was the layered account of position and circumstance that led her family to seek public assistance. Beyond just an anecdote, Sara’s piece points to an important reality about the necessity of public funding for healthcare and other human needs. Prolonged privation and/or unexpected crises can befall any of us, no matter our histories or professional backgrounds.
Just as we cannot make assumptions about who, why and when people will seek abortions, no one is fully exempt from the possibility of one day requiring support for healthcare, food, housing and more. The independent abortion provider community at Abortion Care Network (ACN) witnesses this reality daily, welcoming people from all walks of life into abortion care clinics during times of unforeseen hardship. We know firsthand that those seeking abortion care do so for reasons as diverse as the communities we serve. These can include extreme financial distress, physical and/or mental illness, a need to prioritize care for other family members, school and professional considerations, unstable relationships and pregnancies that are nonviable or incompatible with life, to name a few.
Laws are neither just nor fair when decisions about health, wellness, food, shelter and other essentials are determined by one’s location, paycheck or bank account balance. Those of us working within a social justice framework must furthermore commit to supporting equal access to healthcare and public assistance while simultaneously working against oppressive forces that can distract us from the reality of what need looks like. It looks like all of us.
At ACN, we strive to create a world where everyone has equal access to exceptional and dignified abortion care, a vision based in the premise that we are all deserving of the full scope of healthcare and, at the very least, every individual’s basic human needs deserve to be met. I appreciate knowing that Sara and Catholics for Choice share this vision.
REBECCA WILLMAN
Members Support and Operations Coordinator
Abortion Care Network
Washington, DC
