My story gaining access to birth control on a Jesuit campus.
I am a junior at Gonzaga and I have never visited the campus health care center. This is because birth control as a form of contraceptive is a specifically excluded service.1 Health care at Gonzaga https://www.gonzaga.edu/student-life/health-well-being/health-counseling-services/our-services/medical-services Going to a health care center that does not accommodate all of my health care needs would be pointless and as such, I have to walk half a mile to the Planned Parenthood 5 blocks down the street. At first glance, it might make sense that birth control is not offered at a Catholic institution but a closer analysis using the Reproductive Justice Framework would show a different story.
The Reproductive Justice (RJ) Framework was developed in 1994 by a coalition of Black women who’s goal was to define the health care discrimination Black and marginalized women were facing. SisterSong was the activist group that formed in 1997 as the action needed to address this injustice.2 “Reproductive Justice.” Sister Song, https://www.sistersong.net/reproductive-justice. Sister Song defines reproductive justice as
The human right to maintain personal bodily autonomy, have children, not have children, and parent the children we have in safe and sustainable communities.
With this definition in mind, let’s look at the Jesuit value of Cura Personalis, care for the whole person. Gonzaga University has committed in their mission statement to intentionally develop the person as a whole. This includes “intellectually, spiritually, culturally, physically, and emotionally.”3 “Mission Statement” Gonzaga University, https://www.gonzaga.edu/about/our-mission-jesuit-values/mission-statement. With a special interest in social justice and care for others as a whole, Jesuits are uniquely positioned to intersect their values with that of Reproductive Justice. While this seems to oppose the Catholic teaching that contraceptives are morally wrong and prohibited even in married relationships, 4 First outlined in Humanae Vitae and still upheld today http://www.vatican.va/content/paul-vi/en/encyclicals/documents/hf_p-vi_enc_25071968_humanae-vitae.html. there is still space in the Catholic faith to serve the needs of others outside of the faith.
Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (AOC) exemplifies this careful balance. She has adopted this framework alongside her Catholic faith to inform legislation in congress. In this article from the National Catholic Reporter, Jamie Manson makes a strong argument for more Catholics to adopt the RJ framework in their own lives. As Manson outlines in her article, the topic is messy and encompasses the entire pro-life/pro-choice debate within it. However, at the surface level, RJ is a human rights approach to accessible health care and can fold into the Catholic faith if it is treated as such.
From my personal experience, birth control makes me feel independent and in control of my body and future. While I did eventually get a prescription filled, it felt like every step had its own obstacles. I am not saying the Safeway pharmacy (the closest pharmacy to campus) was actively trying to stop me from getting birth control, but they did seem to have extra trouble fulfilling my prescription, trying to charge me for what should have been a $0 co-pay, and even canceling an order without notifying me or my doctor. All this being said, I am a determined woman so I did eventually get my prescription.
I feel lucky that I have the time, resources, and energy to fight for access to my own health care but it should not have to be a fight. The process could have been expedited had my university been able to fully address my health care needs. In the lens of RJ, Gonzaga and fellow Catholic institutions need to reframe their stance on birth control access as a human rights issue, if they are truly committed to social justice and Cura Personalis.