Access Denied
In a powerful new investigative report, The Texas Observer has exposed an ongoing crisis: according to the report, pregnant rape survivors detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) find it nearly impossible to obtain safe abortion care. You can read the article, "Access Denied," in the March 2009 edition of the magazine. Women crossing the border face an appallingly high risk of sexual assault, and many become pregnant as a result of this violence. According to one source quoted in the article, "The message that these women hear is that abuse will happen. Not that it might, but that it will." Although ICE’s official policy is to allow abortions if detainees can find their own funding and make arrangements with a provider, researchers and health professionals tell a very different story. The report states that in many – if not most – cases, women are never told what their reproductive rights actually are. One of the counselors quoted in the article worked with women in ICE facilities for five years – and even she had no idea that these pregnant rape victims could have access to abortions. This type of inhumane treatment is not new. It is up to all of us to make sure that every woman in Texas has access to her basic human rights, including her legal reproductive rights. Here are some ways you can help: - Contact your representatives and tell them that the inhumane treatment of pregnant immigrant women must stop. You can find your representative by clicking HERE. - Subscribe to The Texas Observer. The Texas Observer is an award-winning, independent journal that regularly features stories such as these – the important issues that the corporate dailies can’t or won’t cover. - Every penny you give to NARAL Pro-Choice Texas goes toward our work to make the full range of reproductive healthcare available to all women in Texas. Please make a gift today or consider becoming a regular contributor for as little as $5 per month.
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