Workshop with Akshara Balakrishnan
Planned Parenthood-
Planned Parenthood is a vital organization that needs protecting. This organization does far more than provide safe abortion care as many on the right believe. They check for sti’s, give birth control, help with safe pregnancies for things like ultrasounds, provide resources for good sexual health for all genders, and yes provide safe abortions. Planned parenthood has been defunded on a federal and local level in recent years, on top of increased laws criminializing and outlawing abortion. Without planned parenthood there is less resources for safe sex, educational information that is not taught enough in schools like consent, and more people that will die or suffer from the consequences of taking away these things.
Social Justice Cause- Healthcare in the United States;
Healthcare in the United States needs to be addressed on a structurally systemic and institutional level. The amount of people that don’t have even basic health care is huge. The amount of people that will go into debt for a slight injury, whether it’s because they cannot talk work off or that the hospital bill is so huge- is unacceptable. Communities already marginalized are most affected by our poor healthcare system on top of it already working poorly. In other words it's working just as it was intended- prioritizing profits over the health of those living in America. My friend has no insurance and has been living with a horrible pain in her tooth that is impacting her ability to eat, and she can’t go to the dentist because she’d need to pay out of pocket. I personally am from a middle class family, and I haven’t gotten a Pap smear or my breasts checked for cancer I don’t think ever- so I can’t picture being lower class with the same circumstances of wanting to check. We need healthcare that does not strip people of their life savings.
