Name: Olivia Gibson
Social Justice Group: 2023-2024, Women’s Access to Reproductive Health Care
Date of Fieldwork: January 25, 2024
Name of Organization and person (people) with whom you met and their title(s):Ana Oliveira, President and CEO of New York Women’s Foundation
Type of Fieldwork: [69]
What I did and what I learned about my topic, activism, social justice work or civil and human rights work from this fieldwork?:
On Thursday, Mila, Gabriella, and I sat down with the president and CEO of the New York Women’s Foundation, Ana Oliveira. Oliveira talked to us about what her organization works to do and how that weaves in to abortion access in our country. Oliveira also explained the importance of legal abortion and reproductive rights as a whole, while touching on the stories she has experienced during her work.
The New York Women’s Foundation creates grants and funds women’s rights organizations in communities that need it the most. The organization gets in contact with community leaders and those that help provide resources for women in lower income communities. NYWF allocates its funds to the most prominent issues that are currently affected by women in New York. The foundation works as a network to bring together women and those who can help them.
Through her work, Oliveira has heard countless stories about negative effects of abortion bans across America. Many women who seek abortion care have been subjected to sexual violence and abuse. A majority of pregnancies in states that ban abortion are caused by rape. Oliveira tells us that she particularly sees high maternal death rates in minorities and lower income communities. Reproductive health is reliant on the quality of resources given to women, which make women in lower income communities particularly vulnerable. Oliveira feels that if we do not have choice over our bodies our lives are determined for us. Oliveira captures this idea by telling us, “Our body is our terrain. Our ability to control what we do in life is fundamental.” She deduces that abortion bans are extremely damaging.
Our interview with Ana Oliveira was informative and gave me a better understanding of what the overturning of Roe v. Wade means for many women around the country. I am truly inspired by Oliveira’s passion and the wonderful work New York Women’s Foundation does. Speaking to her was a pleasure. After the interview, I feel I grasp a better understanding of the unfortunate realities caused by lack of access to reproductive care.
