The South Winds Women’s Center in Wichita, Kansas has been open since April of 2013, and they just celebrated their 1st year of being open. Opening the clinic was a long and difficult journey that took a lot of fundraising and hard work from the Trust Women Organization and their director Julie Burkhart. Burkhart worked with Dr. George Tiller, an abortion provider, who was assassinated at his church in 2009.
In the first 7 months, they performed 650 abortions which is almost 100 a month, and a majority of those women were low-income living under the poverty line. To me this is proof that income and poverty have a major impact on reproductive justice. If they are performing almost 100 abortions in Wichita, KS a month, how many more do you think that are actually wanted? People come from states all over to get access to services. Kansas women have 1 choice in Wichita and a few are located in Kansas city, 200 miles away or a few in Oklahoma City, which is also 200 miles away.
Texas recently shut down a huge majority of their clinics. Now, the entire state relies on 5 clinics that provide abortion care. Of course the South Winds Women’s Center offers a whole lot more than just abortion, but once you say abortion, many people stop listening especially in Kansas. Trust Women and the South Winds Women’s Clinic do not necessarily share my views about everything I’m writing, but I wanted to offer an overview of the services we provide here in Wichita, KS.
So, I offer this question to all who are anti-abortion: What is your solution?
In states where the laws are harshest about sexual health education, the teen pregnancy rates are highest. This can not be a coincidence. There are many opinions about sex and very strong opinions on reproductive justice. However, we seem to have no problem profiting off porn and sexual advertisements. But, when it comes to talking to our youth about sex education with options other than abstinence, many people are against it.
It’s time to speak up about sex education and reproductive justice! If you truly want to decrease abortions, we need to get on board with comprehensive sexual health education and access to affordable reproductive health services. According recent studies, abortions have decreased and not it’s not due to the increased anti-choice legislature according to the Guttmacher Institute.
