Feminist Campus

World's Largest Feminist Student Network

  • Home
  • About
    • What is Feminism?
    • Feminist Campus
    • Meet the Team
    • Contact Us
  • Campaigns
  • Groups
    • Launch or Affiliate A Group
    • Campus Organizing Guide
  • Get Action Alerts
  • Resources
    • Alumni
    • Faculty and Staff
    • Intern with FMF
    • Feminist Jobs
  • Blog
    • Submit to the Blog

39 Years Later: A Reflection on Rosie Jimenez, the Hyde Amendment and Reproductive Freedom

October 3, 2015 by Sharon Mutwiwa Leave a Comment

tumblr_nim069LxcY1s9rx9zo1_500
Source: @RaquelReichard on Twitter

The political atmosphere is thick with sentiments from male policy makers telling women what to do with their reproductive health. We thought women had reclaimed autonomy of their own bodies in the Supreme Court case Roe v Wade but three years later women were set back when the Hyde Amendment was passed in Congress. Today, I reflect on the life of Rosie Jimenez, a woman who wanted nothing but the best for herself and her family but whose opportunity to create that life was taken away from her.

As a woman of color, student and immigrant, I fall in the categories that have been largely disadvantaged by the reproductive policies that the country has. I expect the choices I make for myself and everyone around me to be respected and moreover, I expect the government to provide the freedom and justice to make those decisions. Sadly, this is not the case.

Three months after the Hyde Amendment was passed, Rosie Jimenez, a 27 year old Latino woman, died from septic shock seven days after getting an illegal abortion. Today we remember Rosie, who died on October 3, 1977. We honor her by denouncing the Hyde Amendment which has greatly disadvantaged working class women all over the country.

In 1977, Rosie, a single mother, was on her way to graduating from college when she realized she was pregnant. She made the decision to terminate the pregnancy but was denied services from her local doctor because she was enrolled under Medicaid. Desperate to go through with her decision but unable to afford one in the U.S, Rosie crossed the border into Mexico where she obtained an illegal and unsafe abortion.

This current law hurts women of color and working class women the most, many of whom are enrolled under Medicaid. Rosie, a Latino woman who could not afford an abortion without Medicaid coverage, is a clear demonstration that this law is a violent act towards the women who are the most vulnerable and have great need for protection under the law..

Rosie is one of the first known victims of the Hyde Amendment, but we know that thousands of women are denied access to safe and legal abortion services every year because of the Hyde Amendment. The Amendment forces them to take drastic measures that lead to death, jail time or extreme poverty. It’s been almost 40 years since she died but our policies towards access to abortion for every woman have not changed. Instead of providing legal and safe choices for women across the economic spectrum, lawmakers have made it impossible for women to make their personal choices about their bodies.

Honor Rosie Jimenez by supporting the Equal Access to Abortion Coverage in Health Insurance (EACH Woman Act). This bill, introduced in July by Congresswoman Barbara Lee (D-CA) and Congresswomen Jan Schakowsky (D-IL) and Diana DeGette (D-CO) would end health restrictions on coverage of abortion for all women providing them with the right to access safe and legal abortion.

Topics: Abortion, Blog, Identities, Leaders and Government, Race and Ethnicity, Reproductive Rights

More from the Blog:

  • You Aren’t Always Welcome, But You’re Needed: Campus Activism & Student Government
  • Beyond Title IX: Centering Anti-Racism in Violence Prevention in Education
  • International Students Deserve Better
Avatar

About Sharon Mutwiwa

Sharon is a student at Coe College in Iowa, where she studies public policy and gender studies.

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

© 2021 · Feminist Campus, a program of Feminist Majority Foundation · 1600 Wilson Blvd Suite 801 Arlington VA 22209 · webmaster@feminist.org