Dear Friends,
So. Prenatal Non-Discrimination Act (PRENDA) bills. Are big ol’ lies. They’re bills being proposed in states across the United States that say people are getting abortions because they prefer having sons over having daughters. And these daughters must be protected. Specifically, recent Asian immigrants and their “backward” cultures are the excuses.
When they first started proposing PRENDA bills, there were actually quite a few women’s organizations that supported them. But these bills are another way to insert the government into the doctor-patient relationship, undermine a patient’s agency, and criminalize providers who listen to patients. They would require providers to racially profile their patients and ask them why they’re getting an abortion, if they’re getting one because the sex of the fetus is female, are they sure that’s not why? Are they telling the truth? Really?
And it intersects with immigration all over again. Because it won’t actually matter how recently an Asian patient immigrated to the United States. It could be 5 generations or 0 but because stereotypes abound, people of color are nearly always assumed to be recent immigrants and nearly always assumed to need some civilizing. Even if a provider may want to support their patients, may specifically choose to work with recent immigrants, they may make the calculation to not provide abortion care so they don’t receive any scrutiny or harassment in order to provide other services. We already know folks do all sorts of preemptive moves when things are proposed, moves that may harm them out of fear from the proposed changes.
So we pushed Councilmember Margaret Chin, which includes the Chinatown area, to introduce a resolution stating that New York City stands up for its AAPI constituents, and immigrants generally, against the bill that Assemblyman Marcos Crespo has introduced annually in New York State. Yes, even with the passing of the Reproductive Health Act in 2019. We’ve got a petition going to show support for Councilmember Chin and the Women’s Caucus. And we’re continuing the work to make sure it is passed, including meetings individually with City Councilmembers, the Women’s Caucus, and potentially the whole City Council.
I’m not going to let politicians use me or folks who look like me as a reason to limit anybody’s agency. If you support me, our work locally, our work across the US, then please donate for our annual fundraiser here! If you believe healthcare is a human right, reproductive healthcare is basic healthcare, and/or racism, sexism, classism, xenophobia are terrible, then please donate. If you’d like to get involved, reach out!
