By Hallie Richwine

The Public Forum on October 19 at WNMU’s Miller Library focused on the topic of “Women’s Health - Globally.” Lydia Huerta, professor of Cultural Studies and Spanish, served as the moderator. The panel included Allison Evans, WNMU professor of political science, Jeff Hill, WNMU chair of natural sciences, and Rene Romo, representative of United States Senator Tom Udall’s office.

To begin the evening Huerta explained that the Mexico City Policy is a United States government policy that blocks U.S. federal funding for non-governmental organizations that provide abortion counselling or referrals, advocate to decriminalize abortion, or expand abortion services.

The policy has been revoked and reenacted several times over the years, beginning with Ronald Reagan in 1984 and most recently reinstated under President Donald Trump. It has required foreign non-governmental organizations to certify that they will not “perform or actively promote abortion as a method of family planning” with non-U.S. funds as a condition for receiving U.S. global family planning assistance. Under Trump, this includes U.S. global HIV and maternal and child health assistance. Organizations that offer services that do not comply with this policy, even if they are using their own funds and those particular services are legal in their territory cannot receive aid from the United States.

Romo thanked the panel for allowing Udall’s office to make a statement and said that, “recent events make it clear that we all must take steps to protect women’s choices.” Udall’s office is working to permanently revoke the Mexico City Policy and suggests we promote progressive women into leadership roles to help protect women’s reproductive rights and access to health care.

The first question posed by Huerta was, “Why does the United States government policy govern women’s health and why?”

Evans’s reply was that there is an international level to United States involvement and "there is no world government to tell us what to do or how to spend our money."

Hill explained that he was in the Middle East for about eight years and spent time working on water quality problems. He found that in order to build a society up it was necessary to bring women up. If women are unable to control their reproduction it is difficult to help communities grow. His experience was in Afghanistan following the first conflict where he found people still drinking from open wells or drinking surface water. People in these small remote communities were unable to receive funding that impacted women and contributed to the overall wellness of the community.

Huerta followed up with, “How is it then that there are so many strings attached?”

Evans said there was some hypocrisy involved as Roe vs. Wade and Planned Parenthood vs. Casey disallow state and federal restrictions on abortion in the United States itself. The inability to easily overturn these Supreme Court decisions caused politicians that were opposed to such decisions to enact policies such as the Mexico City Policy to continue their parties’ agendas even if on foreign soil. Roe vs. Wade continues to be a national debate long after the decision was announced in 1973.

Hill added that in keeping family planning and abortion in the same category we limit how we are able to reduce abortions.

Huerta asked how the United States can set how women’s health is defined globally and how no other countries step in.

Evans and Hill both agreed that the enormity of the United States economy alone is a driving factor in how it wields its power globally. Evans pointed out that the Scandinavian countries have tried to aid countries in need but the lack of funding ultimately is where they need to step down. Hill said to put it in perspective: if California was its own country, it would be the fifth largest economy worldwide.

“Why, in 2017, does the United States hold women’s health hostage? What can we do to address the fact that we shouldn’t be handling other people’s health?” asked Huerta.

Evans said perhaps the United States needs to elect people and consider international effects when people vote. Voters should consider what the goals of the policy are versus the effects of following through on that policy. According to the World Health Organization this policy limits women’s autonomy by decreasing access to contraception, which drives up the abortion rate. This is not only counterintuitive to the goal of the policy but also contributes to maternal deaths.

Hill said all reproductive health care has gotten tied up with abortion because of ethical and religious views and "we could probably benefit from separating one issue from the other." The limits on funding even affect immunization which is a great way to prevent disease and save lives.

“So,” said Huerta, “What are reproductive rights?”

Evans said personally she believes it’s how to make decisions for yourself, when and if you want to have children. Hill agreed and added, “how many things does that one choice impact?”

Huerta added that family planning and preventative care are important and that having conversations about both brings facts to light.

Hill said that it would be great if all children were planned and the results of such discussions "could not only avoid abortion but other issues like childhood abuse."

This Public Forum topic was brought to the community by the Grant County Democratic Party and WNMU’s MEChA student association, Young Democrats, and J. Cloyd Miller Library.

Content on the Beat

WARNING: All articles and photos with a byline or photo credit are copyrighted to the author or photographer. You may not use any information found within the articles without asking permission AND giving attribution to the source. Photos can be requested and may incur a nominal fee for use personally or commercially.

Disclaimer: If you find errors in articles not written by the Beat team but sent to us from other content providers, please contact the writer, not the Beat. For example, obituaries are always provided by the funeral home or a family member. We can fix errors, but please give details on where the error is so we can find it. News releases from government and non-profit entities are posted generally without change, except for legal notices, which incur a small charge.

NOTE: If an article does not have a byline, it was written by someone not affiliated with the Beat and then sent to the Beat for posting.

Images: We have received complaints about large images blocking parts of other articles. If you encounter this problem, click on the title of the article you want to read and it will take you to that article's page, which shows only that article without any intruders. 

New Columnists: The Beat continues to bring you new columnists. And check out the old faithfuls who continue to provide content.

Newsletter: If you opt in to the Join GCB Three Times Weekly Updates option above this to the right, you will be subscribed to email notifications with links to recently posted articles.

Submitting to the Beat

Those new to providing news releases to the Beat are asked to please check out submission guidelines at https://www.grantcountybeat.com/about/submissions. They are for your information to make life easier on the readers, as well as for the editor.

Advertising: Don't forget to tell advertisers that you saw their ads on the Beat.

Classifieds: We have changed Classifieds to a simpler option. Check periodically to see if any new ones have popped up. Send your information to editor@grantcountybeat.com and we will post it as soon as we can. Instructions and prices are on the page.

Editor's Notes

It has come to this editor's attention that people are sending information to the Grant County Beat Facebook page. Please be aware that the editor does not regularly monitor the page. If you have items you want to send to the editor, please send them to editor@grantcountybeat.com. Thanks!

Here for YOU: Consider the Beat your DAILY newspaper for up-to-date information about Grant County. It's at your fingertips! One Click to Local News. Thanks for your support for and your readership of Grant County's online news source—www.grantcountybeat.com

Feel free to notify editor@grantcountybeat.com if you notice any technical problems on the site. Your convenience is my desire for the Beat.  The Beat totally appreciates its readers and subscribers!  

Compliance: Because you are an esteemed member of The Grant County Beat readership, be assured that we at the Beat continue to do everything we can to be in full compliance with GDPR and pertinent US law, so that the information you have chosen to give to us cannot be compromised.