No Exceptions: Documenting the Abortion Experiences of US Peace Corps Volunteers

Abstract

Since 1979, US federal appropriations bills have prohibited the use of federal funds from covering abortion care for Peace Corps volunteers. There are no exceptions; unlike other groups that receive health care through US federal funding streams, including Medicaid recipients, federal employees, and women in federal prisons, abortion care is not covered for volunteers even in cases of life endangerment, rape, or incest. We interviewed 433 returned Peace Corps volunteers to document opinions of, perceptions about, and experiences with obtaining abortion care. Our results regarding the abortion experiences of Peace Corps volunteers, especially those who were raped, bear witness to a profound inequity and show that the time has come to lift the "no exceptions" funding ban on abortion coverage.

Intersectionality Research for Transgender Health Justice: A Theory-Driven Conceptual Framework for Structural Analysis of Transgender Health Inequities

“…Wilson et al also applied the syndemic theory to a cross-sectional survey of young (ages 16–24) transgender women ( n =282) in the San Francisco area; they examined racial/ethnic differences in sociodemographic factors, including racial discrimination, HIV-related risk behaviors, and syndemic factors. 13 Among the participants, 36.8% were white, 21.9% Latina, 15.2% mixed race, 13% African American, 5.9% Asian, and 7.1% “other.” The investigators collapsed the sample into two groups, “white” and “racial/ethnic minority.” They found significantly lower education and significantly greater levels of racial discrimination (but nearly identical levels—80%—of trans-related discrimination), greater childhood housing instability, and greater engagement in condomless receptive anal intercourse (CRAI) among racial/ethnic minorities compared with whites. The article concluded with a call for prevention efforts that address “racial inequalities to reduce stressors” and “macrolevel disparities” particularly impacting young transgender women from racial/ethnic minority groups.…”

“…For example, Wilson et al advocated for “[p]ublic health efforts that prioritize access to housing, education, and jobs” for transgender young women. 13 IRTHJ encourages a focus, further upstream, on the specific policies and operational practices within and across institutional systems that result in the inequitable social patterning of housing, education, and jobs for transgender populations. Thus, the IRTHJ action of disrupting the status quo emphasizes action that eliminates transgender health inequities at the structural level.…”

“…One example of a structural-level intervention is Hill et al, who explored employment among transgender women of color who had received no-cost legal name change support and found that those who had legally changed their name had greater odds of being employed. 59 Supporting transgender people with accessible legal name changes can address the everyday marginalization that occurs within various institutional systems due to cisgenderism, thereby directly impacting social factors, such as housing and jobs that Wilson et al 13 identified were connected to HIV risk.…”

“…Unlike many observational studies, transgender research projects often include community members on advisory boards or in focus groups to guide study development. Wilson et al 13 used focus groups comprising transgender youth as part of their “formative assessment,” and Brennan et al 12 used a transgender advisory committee at one of their research sites to inform survey development, recruitment strategies, and study protocols. These practices allow for some inclusion of embodied knowledge in research design.…”