NLIRH Publications by Issue Area

H.R. 3541, originally titled “Susan B. Anthony and Frederick Douglass Prenatal Nondiscrimination Act” (PRENDA), misappropriates the names of civil rights heroes in an attempt to disguise the paternalistic and deeply racist assumptions that suffuse this bill. PRENDA picks up where the now-infamous “The most dangerous place for a Latino/African-American is in the womb” billboard campaigns” left off, insulting women of color by implying that they are a danger to their own children and communities. PRENDA claims to target a social ill: the continued undervaluing of women and people of color. But in reality, the bill takes aim at a social good: a woman’s access to reproductive healthcare.

The Hyde Amendment is a provision in the federal budget restricting Medicaid funding for abortions. Although abortion is legal the amendment has made safe and healthy options available to only a limited number of Latinas. Social class or economic status should not be the deciding factor in a women’s right to reproductive justice. Lifting the restrictions of the Hyde Amendment is key in making healthy and legal abortions accessible to every woman.

Published originally in 2005, updated November 2011. 

Toolkit for action on H.R. 3/Smith Bill. The purpose of H.R. 3 is to undermine the possibility of affordable abortions, which for our community means the disappearance of access altogether.

This document includes some talking points regarding contraception as prevention and abortion access under the new health care law recently passed.

This document outlines NLIRH's legislative priorities for 2010 within the areas of abortion access, reproductive health disparities and immigration reform.

A quick explanation of the Stupak-Pitts Amendment included in the Health Care Reform bill passed by the House of Representatives on November 7, 2009.

Health care reform is important to our community, but it must include women and immigrants. Say NO to Stupak-Pitts language, and YES to immigrant inclusion!

NLIRH supports the right of every Latina to be in charge of her own life, to determine if and when to have children, and, to seek the full range of reproductive health options available.  Our organization is outraged that Congress and President Bush would support a ban on a medically safe abortion procedure. Restricting and criminalizing any abortion procedure undermines the fundamental human right to self-determination, and endangers the lives of women for whom abortions may be medically necessary.

This is a special section of the 2007 United States Social Forum Reproductive Justice Briefing Book contributed by NLIRH, focusing on immigrant rights.

Latinos are the fastest growing minority group in the U.S. and account for one in every seven U.S. women of reproductive age. Latina immigrants are less likely to receive adequate reproductive health care, including annual pap smears, contraceptives, HIV treatment and sex education.  Due to barriers, lack of health care coverage, basic information, culturally and linguistically appropriate services, as well as fear of deportation many Latinas do not have access to reproductive health care services.

This document outlines our national reproductive justice agenda for Latinas.

The National Latina Institute for Reproductive Health (NLIRH) is deeply concerned about the Child Interstate Abortion Notification Act (CIANA; H.R. 2299, S. 1214) because of its negative implications for young people, especially young women of color. This bill is only the latest attempt to curtail abortion access for women in the United States. CIANA would place an additional hurdle in the path of young women, who already face numerous challenges to healthy, informed, and empowered reproductive health decision-making, including lack of access to comprehensive sex education and affordable contraception. We oppose this legislation due to the harmful effects it may have for young women in this country.

NLIRH respectfully urges the 112th Congress and the White House to ensure all Latinas and immigrant women have access to abortion care services, to address reproductive health disparities that disproportionately impact Latinas and immigrant women, and to prioritize the reproductive health needs of Latinas and immigrant women within immigration reform. This document is a brief overview of NLIRH’s federal policy priorities for 2012.

Letter from national Latino advocates urging President Obama to reject sweeping expansion of birth control refusal clause.

This factsheet outlines how women's preventive services will be covered under the new guidelines established by the Affordable Care Act.

This research brief analyzes par­ticipants’ responses regarding abortion.  Three themes emerged from participants’ responses regarding abortion: lack of access to adequate information and referrals, the impact of abortion on funding for programs and services, and immigrant youth access to abortion.

This document includes some talking points regarding contraception as prevention and abortion access under the new health care law recently passed.

This document outlines NLIRH's legislative priorities for 2010 within the areas of abortion access, reproductive health disparities and immigration reform.

This document explains how health care reform will be implemented over the next four years.

This report highlights NLIRH’s work with promotoras/es de salud (community health workers) and highlights the connection between promotoras/es and reproductive justice as an opportunity for movement building and social change.

The National Latina Institute for Reproductive Health (NLIRH) supports healthcare reform that will move our current system toward one that will improve the health, and well-being of all Latinas, their families and communities. NLIRH embraces a human rights approach to health care, ensuring that all health services are accessible, available, affordable, and of good quality for everyone.1 These services should be provided on an equitable basis, free from discrimination or coercion. Healthcare reform can take many paths, and it is important that the needs of all Latinas, including immigrant women, women of color and low-income women are front and center.

This action kit includes everything you need to take action to ensure that health care reform is comprehensive and covers the needs of women and immigrants.

The office of Research on Women's Health (ORWH) recently published their final report, entitled Moving Into the Future With New Dimensions and Strategies: A Vision for 2020 for Women's Health Research as part of their 2-year process of strategic planning by ORWH.  This report is the result of five regional scientific workshops that took place in 2009.  NLIRH was active participant in the process by providing testimony and recommendations (P.302-305) at one of these five meetings. NLIRH emphasized that it is imperative for the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to fund research and career development that includes and advances the role of Latinas in women’s health research. Latinas are a significant and diverse portion of American women, but have significantly worse health outcomes compared to White women on many key health measures.  NLIRH highlighted to NIH the need:

1. for further research in social psychology, sociology and public health about improving Latina adolescent reproductive health outcomes;
2. to improve educational and training opportunities to increase the numbers of Latina health providers and researchers in sexual reproductive health; and
3. to give a greater within NIH funding to Community Based Participatory Research in order to investigated health disparities among Latino and immigrant populations.

The incidence of cervical cancer for Latina women in the United States is highest amongst all racial/ethnic groups, almost twice as high as non-Latina white women. Latina women have the 2nd highest mortality rate from cervical cancer (after black women), although mortality for Latina women are higher in communities along the Texas-Mexico border. Latinas face high mortality rates from cervical cancer as a result of their low rates of cervical cancer screening. Latinas’ limited access to adequate cervical cancer screenings is a result of barriers to access such as fear associated with their lack of immigration status, embarrassment, lack of knowledge, lack of insurance and lack of English proficiency.

Latina women have the highest rates of cervical cancer amongst all racial/ethnic groups in the United States. In 2006, the FDA approved the first vaccine developed to prevent cervical cancer caused by four strains of the Human Papilloma Virus (HPV). Our community had many questions about the vaccine and cervical cancer. In response, the Cuídate. Ármate. Edúcate. Latinas for Cervical Cancer Prevention Campaign was launched in 2007 to open the dialogue about cervical cancer in our communities.

NLIRH advocates a standard of care that will provide Latinas with all the possible options in preventing cervical cancer: regular HPV and cervical cancer screenings during gynecological visits, comprehensive sexuality information, affordable access to reproductive health technologies such as the HPV vaccine and accurate information on preventing HPV and other sexually transmitted infections. NLIRH supports Latina’s full access to new reproductive technology when it is coupled with unbiased information and implementation that is free from coercive policies and practices.

Latinos are the fastest growing minority group in the U.S. and account for one in every seven U.S. women of reproductive age. Latina immigrants are less likely to receive adequate reproductive health care, including annual pap smears, contraceptives, HIV treatment and sex education.  Due to barriers, lack of health care coverage, basic information, culturally and linguistically appropriate services, as well as fear of deportation many Latinas do not have access to reproductive health care services.

A migrant farm worker is an individual whose principal employment is in agriculture on a seasonal basis and who establishes a temporary residence for such employment. In the year 2000 over 85% of these workers were uninsured. Often without access to any contraception, family planning or abortion services. Aside from reproductive disparities there are also a number of other barriers and inequalities these people face everyday.

This document outlines our national reproductive justice agenda for Latinas.

This edition of Instantes focuses on cervical cancer, HPV and Latinas, and the launch of NLIRH's Cuídate. Ármate. Edúcate. Latinas for Cervical Cancer Prevention Campaign. Dr. Elena Gutierrez, Assistant Professor at the University of Illinois-Chicago discusses the Sterilization Policy Project, a follow-up study to research conducted during the 1970s that examined hospital sterilization policies and procedures, and more specifically their compliance with federal guidelines. Also spotlights New York City activist, Diana Salas.

Frequently asked questions and answers about the Human Papilloma Virus, Cervical Cancer and HPV.

The 2010 election was a mixed result for Latinas and reproductive health, but one strong message came through: Latino/as are a powerful and active voting bloc. NLIRH produced this report to analyze the elections and the incoming 112th Congress in regards to its impact on reproductive health rights and issues that exacerbate poverty and xenophobia and increase gender, racial and ethnic discrimination.

This document outlines NLIRH's legislative priorities for 2010 within the areas of abortion access, reproductive health disparities and immigration reform.

This guide will walk you through the steps of planning an in-state legislative advocacy day on your issue. When planning a legislative advocacy day, whether it’s at the state capitol or at a local district office, remember that your voice needs to be heard.

In an effort to increase community engagement amongst Latinas, NLIRH created this toolkit on civic participation to present a myriad of ways that all Latinos could become active in civic and political affairs.  It is critical to understand the U.S. political system and how elections affect the Latino voting, engaging with the community. There are approximately 42.7 million Latinos in the U.S., more than 16 million of whom are eligible to vote. Only 9.3 million Latinos are registered voters and only 7.6 million voted in 2004. Latinos taking part in candidates and local decision makers and holding positions within their communities is very important in the fight to improve reproductive health and advance social justice for Latinas, their families and their communities.

This edition of Instantes provides an update on the judicial nominations process and highlights what Katrina has shown us about human rights in the United States. The issue also highlights the Latinas for Justice Breakfast held in Chicago as part of NLIRH's campaign to raise awareness and facilitate dialogue with regards to the Supreme Court nomination process.

Letter from national Latino advocates urging President Obama to reject sweeping expansion of birth control refusal clause.

This fact sheet addresses birth control access under the new health care law.

This document outlines our national reproductive justice agenda for Latinas.

As part of the reproductive justice community,we share a set of values that we believe will allow all persons to live their lives freely and in good health; we value sexual freedom, integrity of the body and personal autonomy, and we reject any system of reproductive coercion. In fact, a key aspect of reproductive justice is advocating for all persons to be able to make the reproductive decisions that they feel are best for them, and to eliminate all the systems that create barriers to these decisions being made freely. Because we share these justice values, we believe it is important to change the discourse surrounding young motherhood and the policies meant to address the issues young mothers face.

More specifically, the current discourse surrounding young motherhood is both stigmatizing and insensitive, and presents young motherhood as a problem in itself as opposed to the real problems that often surround it, such as poverty and lack of access to timely and high-quality health care services and educational opportunities. Latinas do not report having sex more than white women, but are at higher risk for pregnancy because they have significantly lower rates of contraceptive use. This disparity in contraceptive use is based not on simple preference, but is closely connected to social and economic inequity. What’s the real problem?

This bilingual toolkit provides guidance and activities for joining our newest campaign.

This white paper reviews recent research on adolescent sexuality and reproductive health, sets forth a reproductive justice framework for advancing the sexual health of Latina adolescents, and lays out policy approaches to ensure that communities in which healthy decisions about sexuality and reproduction are supported and available to adolescents.

NLIRH respectfully urges the 112th Congress and the White House to ensure all Latinas and immigrant women have access to abortion care services, to address reproductive health disparities that disproportionately impact Latinas and immigrant women, and to prioritize the reproductive health needs of Latinas and immigrant women within immigration reform. This document is a brief overview of NLIRH’s federal policy priorities for 2012.

Letter from national Latino advocates urging President Obama to reject sweeping expansion of birth control refusal clause.

This document outlines NLIRH's legislative priorities for 2010 within the areas of abortion access, reproductive health disparities and immigration reform.

This report highlights NLIRH’s work with promotoras/es de salud (community health workers) and highlights the connection between promotoras/es and reproductive justice as an opportunity for movement building and social change.

NLIRH advocates a standard of care that will provide Latinas with all the possible options in preventing cervical cancer: regular HPV and cervical cancer screenings during gynecological visits, comprehensive sexuality information, affordable access to reproductive health technologies such as the HPV vaccine and accurate information on preventing HPV and other sexually transmitted infections. NLIRH supports Latina’s full access to new reproductive technology when it is coupled with unbiased information and implementation that is free from coercive policies and practices.

This edition of Instantes features an article on why immigration is a matter of reproductive justice. It also highlights the first National Advocacy Weekend, where Latina Advocacy Network members had the opportunity to share their experiences and learn from each other, as well as generate new and exciting action plans.

Latinos are the fastest growing minority group in the U.S. and account for one in every seven U.S. women of reproductive age. Latina immigrants are less likely to receive adequate reproductive health care, including annual pap smears, contraceptives, HIV treatment and sex education.  Due to barriers, lack of health care coverage, basic information, culturally and linguistically appropriate services, as well as fear of deportation many Latinas do not have access to reproductive health care services.

A migrant farm worker is an individual whose principal employment is in agriculture on a seasonal basis and who establishes a temporary residence for such employment. In the year 2000 over 85% of these workers were uninsured. Often without access to any contraception, family planning or abortion services. Aside from reproductive disparities there are also a number of other barriers and inequalities these people face everyday.

Lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ) Latin@s have been a part of movements for reproductive justice and sexual liberation for as long as these movements have existed. The specific health care needs of LGBTQ Latin@s, however – and more specifically the reproductive health issues of direct concern to LGBTQ Latin@s – have rarely been a focus of either LGBTQ or reproductive rights advocacy. While the concerns of LGBTQ Latin@s often mirror those of the LGBTQ population at large, a specific set of reproductive justice issues do arise for Latin@s in the areas of reproductive health, immigrants’ rights, and access to public benefits.