On December 8th, my Social Justice group and I went on a fieldwork to the Center of Reproductive Rights. We talked with Devon Hutchins who is a Human Resources & Administration Associate. Devon joined the Center’s U.S. Legal Program in 2013 and transitioned to the Human Resources and Administration team in 2015. Devon earned her master of philosophy degree in modern society and global transformations from the University of Cambridge and wrote her thesis on minors’ access to abortion. She also has a bachelor’s degree in anthropology from the University of Florida, with concentrations in women’s studies and organizational leadership for nonprofits. We also talked with Genevieve Scott and Lauren Paulk who work for the organization. Genevieve is a litigator, which means she brings cases. Genevieve moved a lot when she was young so she didn’t make a lot of close friends, but she made one and she felt like that friend had saved her. Unfortunately, she ended up in a domestic violence situation at home and it it made Genevieve feel different. She felt the need to help her friend. When she got older she realized that going to law school would help her do something about that issue. Then, she noticed that women’s rights are something that she wanted to focus on. Lauren is someone who provides legal information to clinics. Before she started working at the Center for Reproductive Rights, she held a support group for girls who were involved in youth domestic violence situations. While she was doing this, she learned that young women don’t always have control over their own body, and she wanted to change that, to make a difference. So she got connected to the organization and has been a part of it ever since.
During the fieldwork, we asked Devon, Genevieve, and Lauren many questions and learned many things from all of them. One of the most important questions, and one of the questions that we’ve been asking all the organizations we’ve been talking to, is:
How do you feel about Donald Trump being elected president? Do you think his decisions will change what you do here at the organization? Will it make you fight stronger for women’s reproductive rights? (since he is pro life he can change court decisions.)
Each of them said basically the same thing when they answered. If Roe v. Wade gets overturned, then the states rights will go back to them to decide is abortions is right for them. They also pointed out that it’s already pretty difficult for a lot of women to get the care they need, so it’ll be even harder if Roe v. Wade gets overturned. Which would make this situation worse, and we want to solve this problem, not make it worse.
This fieldwork was not only a lot of fun, but very inspiring. Devon, Genevieve, and Lauren all showed me, and I think the rest of my group, that change is possible. All of these women seem very strong, hard-working, and determined to change the world for the better.
