NOT REALLY: Reproductive Justice and Women’s Equality: There Is Some Good News!
“Women have different rights depending on which zip code they live in,” says Amanda Allen, state legislative counsel at the Center for Reproductive Rights. “Legislators in some places are now saying, ‘Enough.’ It is interesting to me that in several states we’ve seen packages of bills geared to protecting women’s health. There are bills that support pregnant women in the workplace, advocate for pay equity, address violence against women and that would expand Medicaid coverage and guarantee abortion rights. The shift means that we’re not just opposing bills, but are introducing legislation for the things we want.”
New York is a case in point. A 10-pronged Women’s Equality Act (WEA) is currently pending in Albany, and supporters are pressuring lawmakers to take up the measures before adjourning in mid-June. Should it pass, the WEA will disproportionately benefit women of color since women of color have higher rates of unplanned pregnancies and are more likely to experience discrimination in the workplace and when renting or buying property than white women.
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