As the country heads into the midterm elections, The Root spoke with Planned Parenthood President Alexis McGill Johnson about what’s truly at stake for reproductive rights. Reflecting on the expiration of a year-long funding ban passed under President Trump’s administration, Johnson highlighted the devastating resource drain that’s left women across the country without access to basic care and potentially life-saving screenings at local health centers.
“The majority of Black women live in states with abortion bans, and abortion bans have made pregnancy more dangerous. Defunding Planned Parenthood has impacted health centers all across this country, even in blue states where many of us live. That means defunding STI tests, access to contraception, and cancer screenings,” Johnson said.
The stakes feel particularly urgent for Black women, who face a maternal mortality rate three times higher than other groups. Johnson emphasized that politicians need to hear directly from Black families struggling to access the care they need.
“I can’t think of anything more horrific than Black women dying,” she said. “We’re hearing stories of women sent to parking lots to wait for sepsis to set in before they can get basic access to life-saving medical care. Black men talking about their partners being ignored. We have an incredible maternal mortality crisis that’s only getting worse. Every time the rest of the country gets impacted by care restrictions, we catch the worst version of that.”
The numbers back up her concern. There’s been a 234% increase in maternal mortality for Black women in states with abortion bans. Johnson argues this isn’t simply about a medical procedure. It’s about the entire medical care system abandoning Black women at the moment they need it most.
“We need federal legislation to codify reproductive freedom, and we need to fight for a constitutional amendment years from now,” Johnson said.
Going into this midterm election, Johnson’s focus remains clear: remove the financial barriers that prevent women from getting screenings and treatment.
“We need comprehensive research that centers Black women’s lived experience. We need to ensure that Title X remains a strongly funded program so people in low-income communities can access contraception,” she continued. “We have to reimagine what reproductive health care and freedom look like, with our bodies and our lives at the center of that policy.”
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