{"id":5061288,"date":"2022-10-28T13:18:15","date_gmt":"2022-10-28T13:18:15","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/wilatinonews.com\/?p=5061288"},"modified":"2022-10-28T13:18:15","modified_gmt":"2022-10-28T13:18:15","slug":"democracy-in-wisconsin-reproductive-justice-in-the-midwest","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/latinonewsnetwork.com\/wiln\/2022\/10\/28\/democracy-in-wisconsin-reproductive-justice-in-the-midwest\/","title":{"rendered":"Democracy in Wisconsin: Reproductive Justice in the Midwest"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

With this election riding off the wave of Roe v. Wade being overturned just a few months before, it\u2019s safe to say that reproductive justice is one of the biggest issues impending in this election.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Voter turnout tends to be lower during midterms, although over 5.5 million Americans have already cast their vote in this election<\/a>. Still, evidence supports the existence of voter suppression<\/a> in communities of color, making voter access another important topic in this election.    <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cFor people of color, historically, elections have not benefited them. Promises are broken, racism exists to where they say \u2018why bother, my vote doesn’t count\u2019,\u201d said Maureen Keane, co-founder of She Votes IL. \u201cAnd so we all need to take a hard look at what that means. And how do we make those corrections to make marginalized communities be able to use their power and vote.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

There\u2019s power in these numbers. Latinos are the fastest growing racial-ethnic group in the country. According to Pew Research Center<\/a>, 34.5 million Hispanic Americans are eligible to vote this year. This number has increased by 4.7 million from the Midterm Election in 2018, accounting for 62 percent of total growth of eligible voters.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What\u2019s at stake in this election?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

While Wisconsin health providers ceased performing abortions, enacting an 1849 abortion ban<\/a> after the Dobbs v. Jackson Women\u2019s Health Organization<\/a> decision, these procedures remain legal in Illinois. This prompted a partnership between Planned Parenthood in these states<\/a> to fill the need for the influx of people traveling across state lines for treatment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Reproductive justice is most often associated with abortion rights and access. In the broader sense, this term encompasses a human\u2019s right to control their own body<\/a> and make decisions regarding reproduction, sexuality, gender, childrearing and more. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

As Keane explained, \u201cReproductive justice is the access to reproductive healthcare, the affordability of reproductive healthcare, [and the freedom from] discrimination [and] racism that creates those barriers.” <\/p>\n\n\n\n

When asked which issues were \u201cvery important\u201d to their decision-making in this election, Pew reports that 71 percent of Latino registered voters said healthcare and 57 percent said abortion.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Several bills in the works could have an impact on reproductive rights in Illinois, including HB1464 which protects Illinois reproductive healthcare providers from treating out of state patients. Those placed in power during this election can enact bills and policies that directly impact the future of reproductive justice going forward.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Which are some important roles to know?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Graphic Courtesy of Be The Ones<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

How can these positions impact reproductive justice?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Governor <\/em>can:<\/p>\n\n\n\n