The Importance of Women’s Reproductive education
By Branden Tepaz
Did you know that as of 2022 the percentage of adults in the United States who said they were knowledgeable about menstruation was 52% ? All the while the percentage of adults in the United States who said they were knowledgeable about Menopause was 44%? This fact shows that almost half of the population in the United States knows very little about reproductive education. This is an extremely worrisome fact to know as the history of reproductive education is deep rooted into racism,classism, and so much more and the fact that if the whole population were to be educated on reproductive education it would help so many more lives. Today I will be explaining just why the importance of women’s reproductive education is integral in today’s society.
When talking about reproductive education we must bring up the reproductive justice movement. Just what is the reproductive justice movement? In an article written by Kamala Price titled “ What is Reproductive Justice? How women of Color activists Are Redefining the Pro-Choice Paradigm “ The author defines the reproductive justice movement as “ The complete physical, mental, spiritual, political, economic, and social well-being of women and girls, will be achieved when women and girls have the economic, social, and political power and resources to make healthy decisions about our bodies, sexuality, and reproduction for ourselves, our families, and our communities in all areas of our lives. “ The reproductive justice movement is so important because it highlights and shows the amount of persistence women have had throughout history fighting for their rights to abortion, education, the right to vote, and so many more things. The strides that the reproductive justice movement has made to further the rights of all women, and the history behind the strides made are essential to understanding just what reproductive education is, and why it is so important.
When we talk about why Reproductive Education is so important, Society must understand that for the longest time in history there was little to know about education or access to education about their bodies. The history of women has been filled with abuse, inhumane acts, and discrimination when it came to learning about their bodies. From forced sterilizations all over the world, to medical malpractices the history of women has been an everlasting fight for a better life. The reproductive justice movement throughout history has been able to give so much more access to information to women around the world. However as stated earlier the fact that nearly half the U.S population has no education around that information is so alarming. According to the CDC, from 2016 to 2020, STD rates have increased by 11%. At the same time the Maternal Mortality rates from 2018 to 2021, have also only increased. Why is it that in an age where women have so much more access to information about their bodies, these things that are preventable only continue to increase. I emphasize with this point that it is so important that society emphasizes an increase in reproductive education around the country.
In conclusion, I believe society should fight more not just for the information available to the public but for this information to be spread as it can save so many lives. This education can only help society, and the women in it. With the history of the Reproductive justice movement showing how hard fought this battle has been to this day, having so many women be uneducated about information to their body shows just how important women’s reproductive education is.
References
Hoyert, D. (2023, March 16). Maternal Mortality Rates in the United States, 2021. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/hestat/maternal-mortality/2021/maternal-mortality-rates-2021.htm
Mir, A., & Ollstein, a. (n.d.). New CDC data: STD rates shot up in 2021. POLITICO. https://www.politico.com/news/2022/09/15/cdc-data-std-rates-2021-00056811
Price, K. (2010). What is Reproductive Justice? How Women of Color Activists Are Redefining the Pro-Choice Paradigm. Meridians, 10(2), 42–65. https://doi.org/10.2979/meridians.2010.10.2.42
