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Forced Sterilization Isn't New
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Disgusted. Disappointed. Shook to our core.
That's exactly how we're feeling about the most recent reports of injustice coming out of Irwin County Detention Center (ICDC) in Georgia.
Eugenics and forced sterilization in communities of color and those physically handicapped dates back to the late 19th century. We know what you're thinking: why is this still a thing in the 21st century? Better yet—why was this ever a thing? Yeah. It's messed up. And it's still happening in 2020.
Dawn Wooten—nurse at the ICDC in Georgia—spoke out about the unusually large number of immigrant women that underwent hysterectomies without fully understanding or consenting to them. From the 19th century until now—the historical reproductive injustices in this country is why Own Every Piece exists—to bring back a woman's control over her own body. To address the injustices in our fight towards justice. To fight those who continue to mistreat and take lives away from communities of color. To fight the "uterus collectors" and voice-silencers who take advantage of vulnerable women and don't provide the resources they need to have a choice. Because there's power in her choice.
So our thoughts are with the women who've ever faced injustices within healthcare and are still getting their reproductive rights stolen from them. Our hearts are with our brothers and sisters currently housed in the ICE detention centers. And our fists are up with those who stand up for what's right. The Own Every Piece team stands with workers who speak out against injustices in the healthcare system like Dawn Wooten.
Give our women justice.
Own Every Piece is a campaign run by a team at the UTHealth School of Public Health; many of us are women just like you. At some point in our lives, we were totally overwhelmed and confused by the idea of getting birth control— what kind was best? how to afford it? where to get it? why did it matter?
We wanted to make the process easier for other women by showing real and honest information that was easy to understand. Much like this campaign, we're a diverse team whose lives encompass many colors that are constantly shifting. Our ages span from 25 to 75, but our mission remains the same:
We want you to own every piece of what makes your life beautiful, including birth control.
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