Audrey Taylor

Professor Sam Grace

Peace and Violence

M3 Assessment

Although it is clear that anti-abortion policies and laws prevent women from getting the

healthcare they need amidst the very difficult decision they have to make in the first place, there

are specific demographics that are impacted by these restrictions most greatly: low-income

communities of color. Planned Parenthood, one of the organizations leading the charge in the

greater pro-choice movement, is dedicated to providing assistance and resources to those most

affected. Despite the monumental progress that they have helped the movement make thus far,

are they truly using all of the resources at their disposal to most effectively make the impact they

intend to? In this paper I will analyze the structural violence at the root of the problem that

Planned Parenthood is focused on, evaluate the organization’s current peacemaking tactics, and

make recommendations on how they can more successfully achieve their goals using tactics

proven by experts in a number of fields.

Analysis of Structural Violence

The United States has a deep rooted issue when it comes to giving women rights, power, control,

etc; and what started as blatant laws and power systems to ensure this soon became norms built

into the structure of the country. This doesn’t mean though that there aren’t still extremely

restrictive laws imposed, and most recently these restrictions have manifested themselves in
prevention of bodily autonomy specifically. On June 24th, 2022, the Supreme Court overturned

Roe v. Wade, which gave the constitutional right to abortion, leaving it up to the states about

whether or not to ban abortion, of which twelve did completely (with many others being a hostile

or non-protected territory to receive an abortion in). This ruling “returns the issue of abortion to

the people’s elected representatives,” meaning that, although there are organizations that attempt

to provide protection for those who are seeking or have gotten an abortion, the state is the only

entity with access to true and full protection. State governments have the power to distribute the

protection (legalize of abortion and ensure safety for those who give and receive them)

post-ruling, but ultimately, the federal government is the only one with the power to grant the

constitutional right to abortion in all states once again, therefore protecting those who wish to

obtain one. Not only does this give the state a monopoly on both violence and protection, but it

also particularly affects the economic security and prosperity of people of color (a demographic

that has received the brunt of the blow in terms of structural violence), the suppression and

restriction of rights of whom can be a potential incentive for conservative politicians and state

governments who know they tend to lack the political support of.

Evaluation of Peace

The overarching goal of the pro-choice movement is to fight on behalf of every individual,

especially women and others with the ability of childbearing, for the legal rights to control their

own body, health, and life (their autonomy). According to Planned Parenthood themself, their

goals are “providing trusted community healthcare, informing and educating the community,

advancing global health,” and serving as an advocate in the “reproductive health and rights
movement.” One of their main and strongest tactics is essentially the consciousness-raising

described by both Sarachild and Hirsch, as they don’t only provide assistance to those in need,

but more importantly, make absolutely sure that they are making informed decisions about the

types of intense and life-changing situations that they deal with so that they have the best chance

of coming out the other side “lead[ing] healthy, happy lives.” Consciousness-raising actions, as

defined by Sarachild, are “actions brought to the public for the specific purpose of challenging

old ideas and raising new ones in order to prompt people to organize and act on a mass scale.” In

terms of this description, they are executing this well through “provid[ing] young people with

honest, factual health and relationship information – in classrooms, community centers, and

online,” as stated on their website. By sharing little known information on the reasons why one

might need an abortion and even things as seemingly simple as what an abortion is, they are

shining a light on the root of the issue and actively debunking stigmas and stereotypes about

those who receive abortions and the greater pro choice movement. They are also doing well on

both Hirsch and Sarachild’s recommendation that consciousness-raising involve group

discussion, as the information they’re spreading isn’t only by means of social media

infographics, but genuine face-to-face conversations in community spaces, making their efforts

all the more meaningful and impactful because they can be “non-hierarchical, loosely

structured,” and “isolated from people in power.” Their mission of “provid[ing] medically

accurate education that advances the understanding of human sexuality, healthy relationships,

and body autonomy” contributes to this greatly because a basic understanding of the facts can

cause the stories shared in consciousness-raising sessions to be taken much more seriously by

adding a level of unarguable objectivity to what could be interpreted as “personal opinions.” Not

only is Planned Parenthood facilitating conversations, but they are also taking an active role in
the greater movement’s attempts at nonviolent resistance (suggested as the more effective route

to success by Chenoweth and Stephen) by “advocat[ing] for public policies that protect and

expand reproductive rights and access to a full range of sexual and reproductive health care

services” in an outspoken and passionate manner. Overall, Planned Parenthood’s goals and

tactics to promote and create peace within the field of reproductive rights are well thought out

and generally have positive results, although a few aspects of their mission could be better

accomplished with some slight improvements to their approach and especially what issues they

draw attention to, and thus lead the pro-choice movement to focus their efforts on. These

missions are “help[ing] people live full, healthy lives — no matter your income, insurance,

gender identity, sexual orientation, race, or immigration status;” and “provid[ing] the

high-quality inclusive and comprehensive sexual and reproductive health care services all people

need and deserve — with respect and compassion.”

Recommendations

As someone who has been actively involved in and generally well educated (to an extent) on the

pro choice efforts for many years now (as being from Texas, I haven’t had much of a choice but

to be), I have only ever thought of the right to bodily autonomy in terms of reproductive health

as something that only affects women, and all women at an equal level for that matter. As of a

couple years ago, during the social media activism era of the early Covid-19 national quarantine,

I started to become slightly more educated on how a lack of reproductive rights and healthcare

disproportionately affects people of color, as did many others. But the majority of the time, none

of this information came directly from Planned Parenthood, a leading source of information in
the movement. What little difference that a few Instagram posts over the span of a few months

made in the pro-choice movement by bringing awareness to previously overlooked factors of the

major issue at hand could be multiplied if Planned Parenthood’s consciousness-raising efforts

were modified to incorporate that data. According to ABC News, “Black women had the highest

rate of abortions with 23.8 abortions per 1,000 women” in 2019, while “White women had the

lowest rate: 6.6 abortions per 1,000 women.” Ultimately, “the country's most marginalized will

be affected by… abortion bans -- people already impacted by poverty” (which abortion bans can

push people into), “lack of health care access and racism in the health care system, advocates

say.” These systemic inequities have led to “Black women [dying] of maternal causes at nearly

three times the rate of white women in 2020.” By holding conscious-raising sessions in

predominantly Black and Latino or low-income neighborhoods across the country, it will make

participants feel like they have a more personal stake in the cause and that their specific issues

within the overarching problem are going to be addressed. This will lead to a bandwagon effect

(declared by Hirsch as an aspect of collective empowerment) in which those involved in the

sessions will convince their friends and family to join the movement because of a newfound

security that it has their interests in mind. The movement gaining support and numbers will only

make it stronger and their impact greater. Additionally, even if a person in these demographics

doesn’t have a personal connection to someone involved in conscious-raising efforts by Planned

Parenthood, they will still be more likely to join the pro-choice movement than they were before

because their fear that it will overshadow and silence their voices by presenting all of those

affected by the issue as being on the same playing field or starting point will be reduced. Instead

they will feel that joining this movement will further the plight for reproductive rights as a

whole, as well as reproductive rights as it affects their communities specifically, rather than
combining the issues and thus blinding the public and politicians to the struggles of such a large

group of individuals.

Conclusion

Planned Parenthood is a revolutionary changemaker of an organization in terms of how many

different types of tactics they employ to further the goals of the pro-choice movement and how

far reaching their impact is. Ultimately though, even the most successful leaders in social

movements can improve their approaches and effectiveness. Broadening the focus and reach of

their consciousness-raising sessions to be more inclusive and acknowledging of those most

greatly affected by the exact thing in which they’re fighting to prevent will only strengthen the

organization, the movement, and every individual involved. In this past year more than ever are

we reminded of why this type of constant improvement to a social movement is extremely

crucial.
Email

Planned Parenthood,

Your efforts to further the plight of those fighting for safe reproductive healthcare/rights, as well
as providing access to that very healthcare to those in need of it has made drastic differences in
the political/social landscape of the US. Being “the nation’s largest provider of sex education” is
more than a title, as it has allowed you to impact a number of previously unaddressed (or
incorrectly addressed) issues. Your consciousness-raising efforts have helped to decrease the
amount of unplanned pregnancies and STDs, led to safer pregnancies, shown people the number
of safe options they have when pregnant, and much more.

However, consciousness-raising can only do so much when certain major factors of the issue are
largely overlooked or lumped into the greater problem rather than being specifically addressed.
These factors are the fact that “the country's most marginalized will be affected by… abortion
bans -- people already impacted by poverty, lack of health care access and racism in the health
care system” Although people of color are disproportionately affected by reproductive rights
being limited/stripped entirely, your tactics for making change don’t reflect an acknowledgement
of the gravity of this part of the greater issue. By making an effort to specifically hold
conscious-raising sessions in predominantly Black and Latino or low-income neighborhoods
across the country, you can bring the larger pro-choice movement’s awareness to these inequities
and reduce the fears that POC have that joining the movement will overshadow and silence their
voices.

Best,
Audrey Taylor