Dear John,

 

The last few weeks have been huge for reproductive freedom: our partners in California secured $7.5 million in reparations for survivors of forced sterilizations and our partners in Rhode Island passed measures to significantly expand access to doula care.

 

Our partner California Coalition for Women Prisoners (CCWP) and other key coalition organizations worked with champions in California’s state legislature to secure millions in reparations for the hundreds of survivors of state-sponsored forced sterilization.

 

This budget allocation is of national significance: California is now only the third state in the nation to provide monetary compensation to those sterilized under state eugenics laws and the first state to both provide notification of coerced sterilization and reparations to survivors who were sterilized while incarcerated in its state women’s prisons. Black, Indigenous, Latinx, incarcerated people, people with disabilities, and people living in poverty have been disproportionately targeted for sterilizations.

 

In Rhode Island, advocates and elected leaders worked to pass a budget that includes Medicaid coverage for the doula care, and pass a bill that mandates inclusion of doula care in private insurance plans. This coverage is critical to improving the health and safety of pregnant people and their children, and particularly Black birthing people and their families. The budget item and bill were championed by a coalition of doula and advocacy groups including NIRH partner SISTA Fire.

 

John, these victories are historic and a testament to the incredible work happening in states across the country to push forward reproductive freedom for all people. Learn more about CCWP, SISTA Fire, and our other partnerships here.

 

In solidarity,

Purpose. Power. Progress.

14 Wall Street Suite 3B New York, NY 10005

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