Browsing by Subject "Reproductive rights"
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Item Reproductive Rights Through the Lens of Causal Stories: A Policy Analysis(2023-05) Rodman, SheylaReproductive Rights Through the Lens of Causal Stories: A Policy Analysis seeks to draw a connection between reproductive rights policy, causal stories, and public opinion. The causal stories theory explains that the way we define a problem–specifically, how we attribute blame and responsibility to that problem and whether or not we view it as amenable to change by human intervention–influences the government’s response to them. Thus, causal stories often translate into public policy responses. By marking out important punctuations in reproductive rights policy, this thesis traces the historical evolution of reproductive rights, uses the events of the time to gauge the causal stories influencing policy, evaluates the role that political actors have played in promoting those causal stories, and measures how public opinion has responded to certain policy decisions. A core argument in this thesis is that, for a causal story to effect policy change, the causal story must have majority public support because the U.S. government is designed to be responsive to public opinion. To assess this claim, I compare reproductive rights policy and the causal stories implicated in it with public opinion, mainly gathered through public opinion polling results throughout the last few decades. I find that, for the most part, this claim holds up relatively well; however, in 2022, reproductive rights experienced a significant shift that ran contrary to public opinion. The thesis ends with a discussion of what the overturn of Roe v. Wade signals for the democraticness of the Supreme Court, the causal stories involved in the decision, and what this means for the future of American democracy.Item The long arm of the law : abortion access for unaccompanied minors(2018-05-07) Pollock, Sarah Patrice; Aiken, Abigail R. A.In part one of this report, I use the ongoing legal case Garza v. Hargan as a framework for the discussion and analysis of laws and policies that govern abortion access for unaccompanied female minors in the United States. I give particular attention to the Office of Refugee Resettlement [ORR]’s history with faith-based NGOs, the evolution of abortion law as it pertains to this population and an analogous population (incarcerated women), and the more extreme measures taken by anti-abortion advocates and policymakers. I conclude with a consideration of the impact of ad-hoc policymaking, a reflection on the implications of the recent Supreme Court decision Obergefell v. Hodges, a detailed analysis of ORR’s current policies (their flaws and possible solutions) and a broader call to action. In part two, I include a functional document written in collaboration with an interested organization, to help certain interested parties quickly become educated about this issue and the Garza case, enabling them to engage in practical work from a well-informed foundationItem Women's health care needs in Texas : an analysis of the Healthy Women, Healthy Families project(2010-05) Garrett, Lauren Danielle; Osborne, Cynthia Anne, 1969-; Greenberg, SherriHealthy Women, Healthy Families is a survey collection and story sharing project spearheaded by NARAL Pro Choice Texas. The reproductive justice based project asks survey respondents to rate how urgently their community needs a variety of health care services. While all Texas women are invited to participate, special attention was paid to targeting low income and minority women. In this report, I analyze the survey data and make both policy and internal recommendations for NPCT. Overall the survey results show that while all of the services in question are needed by women in Texas, there are differences in the strength of this need based on race and income. General health care services were most valued by all demographics, but NARAL’s priority services were valued most by upper class white women, while low income and minority women were more likely to support services aimed at specific populations (non-English speakers, women in prison, undocumented immigrants, those without transportation, etc.). Based on these survey results, I recommend that NARAL conduct follow up surveys as a way of illuminating some still unanswered questions. In addition, I recommend that NARAL reach out to coalition partners who advocate for the most needed services, expand outreach into low income and minority communities, and use outreach and messaging to try and frame NARAL’s services in a larger, more general health care context.