I came to this country with my parents to escape the violence that continues to consume our native Venezuela. My family has worked hard to make Broward home, and as a young Latina, I am determined to advocate for equality for myself and my community.
It was during a trip to Tallahassee that I realized how many barriers people of color and immigrants face when it comes to reproductive health, particularly abortion care. Financial barriers, baseless hurdles like waiting periods, and restrictions due to immigration status have forced many to forego reproductive care altogether.
Let’s be clear, abortion is a vital part of reproductive health care. When individuals can determine if and when to have children, it benefits not just their families and communities, but society as a whole. All of us, regardless of age, race, gender, economic or documentation status, deserve access to affordable reproductive health care so that we can take care of ourselves with dignity and self-determination.
Several years ago, I was in Tallahassee with activists from the National Latina Institute for Reproductive Justice to urge lawmakers to vote against several bills that would further restrict abortion access. Although I felt a great sense of community surrounded by people who were passionate about these issues, I was shocked to see how little our legislators cared about our reproductive health.
I told my legislators that we needed solutions that support the health, safety and dignity of our youth, including comprehensive sex education, contraception and funding for youth health care, not laws that strip them of their autonomy. But they didn’t listen.
Years later, when I needed abortion care myself, I faced a different barrier. At 21, I was not ready to become a parent, and I certainly could not afford to have children.
Now, 44 years since Congress passed the Hyde Amendment, which bars people from using Medicaid to pay for abortion services and has encouraged many states like Florida to place similar restrictions on private health plans bought on the Affordable Care Act Marketplace, I am here to share my story.
When I called my insurance company, I was shamed by the person on the line, who told me in pointedly ugly terms that my plan, purchased through the Affordable Care Act, did not cover the costs of any abortion-related services.
I came to find out that Florida is one of 26 states that has prohibited the private health insurance plans bought through the Affordable Care Act Marketplace from paying for abortion care, thanks to the Hyde Amendment.
These financial barriers and unnecessary hurdles are not incidental. They are part of a larger narrative that seeks to control the bodies of women of color and strip them of their reproductive agency. Our communities have experienced countless atrocities as a result of this country’s efforts to control our bodies. These atrocities continue, as we watch babies torn from their mothers’ breasts and read accounts of forced sterilizations of women in ICE detention.
Restrictions on health care force people like me to struggle to raise funds for medical care despite having insurance. The cost of ending a pregnancy can mean having to choose between paying for rent or paying for health care. Having to raise funds for an abortion delays access to a basic medical service, which then becomes more expensive, invasive and difficult to obtain.
Meanwhile, the same lawmakers in Tallahassee who have pushed for abortion restrictions have failed to provide any support or safety net for mothers: no help with childcare, no help with health care, only laws to take away reproductive freedoms.
I was fortunate. I had my network of activists at the National Latina Institute for Reproductive Justice for support, and through them, I learned about a local abortion fund that provides financial help to people who cannot afford to cover their own care because of these restrictions.
It is so hard to face these obstacles and struggle to raise the money needed for care when you have so much on your mind and so much at stake. I feel very privileged that I was able to find help to pay for my abortion care and extremely grateful for the amazing, compassionate care I received from the provider, but it shouldn’t be a privilege.
Everyone should have access to the full range of reproductive health care, including abortion care, regardless of their income, age, race, gender identity or documentation status. We must continue to fight to end the Hyde Amendment and all the other needless restrictions that disproportionately impact Latinas, people of color, LGBTQ folks, and people with low incomes so that we can see our communities thrive.
Camila Rojas is a Poderosa, a reproductive justice activist with the Latina Institute Florida, who lives in Deerfield Beach.
