Latina Institute In the News

Invisible Immigrants: What Will Immigration Reform Mean for Migrant Women?

Dissent Magazine, 04/24/2013 –

Patricia thought she had crossed the border to a land where she could finally earn a good living. She ended up in one of the worst places to be a woman. As a migrant farmworker, she was brutalized and raped by her supervisor, then left pregnant and alone. Her fear of her abuser was nearly matched by her fear of retaliation if she revealed her secret. Read more »

Immigrants Are Literally Swimming to Mexico for Reproductive Healthcare

Jezebel, 04/24/2013 –

Let's talk about what immigration reform means for migrant women's rights. According to a policy analysis by the Latina Institute (via this excellent Dissent piece) “the majority of undocumented immigrant women do not have access to affordable health insurance,” and “immigrant women are less likely to receive adequate reproductive health care, including cervical and breast cancer screening and treatment, family planning services, HIV/AIDS testing and treatment, accurate sex education and culturally and linguistically competent services.” Even immigrants that have green cards usually wait five years to qualify for basic Medicaid programs. Read more »

Emergency Contraceptive Ruling Is a Huge Victory for All Women, Particularly Minorities

Highbrow Magazine, 04/22/2013 –

Women’s health advocates received welcome news earlier this month when a federal judge ruled that the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) must make the most popular forms of emergency contraception (also known as the morning-after pill) available for all women over-the-counter. That means that any person will now be able to buy emergency contraception for themselves when they need it and without a prescription or proof of age. Read more »

Immigration Reform 2013: Will Abused Undocumented Women Get Their Rights?

Policymic, 04/21/2013 –

immigration, reform, 2013:, will, abused, undocumented, women, get, their, rights?,

After the terribly tragic events that took place in Boston last week, the country has pulled together to mourn our losses and move on. The new immigration bill is still in process of being reviewed and debated on Capitol Hill, but one thing that hasn't really been discussed is the state of undocumented women, particularly victims of sexual abuse and rape. Regardless of where you stand on the issue of immigration, the truth is that the sooner rape victims receive help; the better they are at handling trauma. The Violence Against Women Act signed by President Obama earlier this year covers undocumented women who are victims of domestic violence. What does this mean for the new immigration bill?

Read more »

Emergency Contraception Ruling a Win for Immigrant Women

New America Media, 04/21/2013 –

Women’s health advocates received welcome news earlier this month when a federal judge ruled that the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) must make the most popular forms of emergency contraception (also known as the morning-after pill) available for all women over-the-counter. That means that any person will now be able to buy emergency contraception for themself or their partner, when they need it and without a prescription or proof of age. Read more »