MAIN RESEARCH QUESTION:
How does religiosity function to influence the reproductive choices of Black adolescent mothers?
Why this topic?
Black girls are facing a reproductive healthcare crisis of their own. Our research strove to understand the reproductive choices of these girls -- what may be attempts for more holistic, revitalizing care -- and fill that knowledge desert regarding the state of Black girls’ access to adequate reproductive health services. By conducting this study and gauging the presence of spiritual tradition in Black girls’ lives, we hoped to discover a possible support system for these girls, a womanist spiritual tradition that would provide them comprehensive assistance.
Methodology
Our research participants were adolescent Black mothers and/or women who experienced adolescent pregnancy -- pregnancy prior to the age of 20 -- with spiritual or religious backgrounds. We recruited these participants through a survey distributed via social media and attained their consent for participation and collection/use of data through a consent form.
Our team conducted pre-assessment surveys and 3 in-depth individual interviews.
This survey featured both multiple choice and likert scale questions, graded on a scale from 1 to 5.
1- strongly disagree
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5- strongly agree
SURVEY QUESTIONS
a. I experienced pregnancy prior to the age of 20
b. I am religious and/or spiritual
c. I am part of a religious and/or spiritual community
d. Before my pregnancy, my views of pregnancy were positive
e. After discovering I was pregnant, my views of pregnancy were positive
f. ​​Teenage pregnancies commonly occurred in my neighborhood
g. I had access to contraceptives
h. I had a positive relationship with spirituality/religion during my pregnancy
I. I felt supported by school staff and faculty during my pregnancy
j. I felt supported by my family and community during my pregnancy
k. I am interested in participating in an individual interview about my experiences
l. I consent to my experiences being recorded and used as data for this study
m. I consent to my participation in this study
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INDIVIDUAL INTERVIEW QUESTIONS
a. Describe the religious atmosphere of your community. Is it diverse? Are you/your family religious?
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How do you practice your religion?
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In your religion (or culture), is sex before marriage prohibited? How is it perceived?
b. Has your relationship with religion/spirituality changed overtime? Is it more positive? Negative?
c. What did pregnancy mean to you? To your community? To your faith? (If religious)
d. Has there been a lack or loss of reproductive resources in your community? If you can recall, what do you believe were needs that you had that went unmet?
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Did any adults ask you what your needs were? Did you attempt to meet your own needs? How (if comfortable sharing)?
e. During your experience with pregnancy, where did you feel most supported? Where did you feel least supported?
f. Did the adults/guardians in your life present abortion as an option to you? How were modes of birth control perceived?
OUR RESEARCH
Research Survey Results
Our participants expressed a myriad of different feelings regarding the presence of religion in their lives -- click below to hear our interviewees tell their story.
POLICY
POLICY
There is a serious lack of access to adequate reproductive healthcare services and education for underserved communities, particularly Black women. The increasing apartheid on reproductive autonomy has seen a large increase in anti-abortion centers – often referred to as crisis pregnancy centers – that masquerade as abortion clinics, operating without a health license and spreading incorrect information about birth control processes.
The rise of CPCs (Crisis Pregnancy Centers) has directly correlated to a spread of misinformation around reproductive health services. Many CPCs are notorious for sharing misleading and inaccurate medical information with women. A study of 254 websites referring to 348 CPCs found that 203 “provided at least one false or misleading piece of information” (Source: ContraceptionJournal). CPC websites also linked abortion to risks of breast cancer and/or future infertility, statements which are incorrect and have been denied by the American College of Obstetrics and Gynecologists (Source: ACOG).
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2015
The California "FACT" Act
California adopted the Reproductive Freedom, Accountability, Comprehensive Care, and Transparency Act (the “FACT Act”) on October 9, 2015. This Act required that all California reproductive healthcare facilities inform patients about their legal right to an abortion, about California’s public programs that provide low-cost or free contraception and abortion services, and whether or not these facilities are licensed healthcare providers.
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Statistics on pregnancy from the FACT Act:
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2018
The Supreme Court & "Free Speech"
Freedom of Speech!
“700,000 California women become pregnant every year and one-half of these pregnancies are unintended. In 2010, 64.3 percent of unplanned births in California were publicly funded. Yet, at the moment they learn that they are pregnant, thousands of women remain unaware of the public programs available to provide them with contraception, health education and counseling, family planning, prenatal care, abortion, or delivery.”
In 2018, the Supreme Court struck down California’s FACT Act – the 2015 California Reproductive Freedom, Accountability, Comprehensive Care, and Transparency Act. This Act required that all California reproductive healthcare facilities inform patients about their legal right to an abortion, about California’s public programs that provide low-cost or free contraception and abortion services, and whether or not these facilities are licensed healthcare providers. The Supreme Court ruled against this Act by citing a violation of free speech; requiring crisis pregnancy centers to provide information about abortion services and access was deemed a “content-based” regulation of speech, and also violated many organizations’ right to religious freedom.
2021
![Black Maternal Health Momnibus[62160].png](https://static.wixstatic.com/media/60f600_3f5c99d6aec94b9396c1ad42f1d39002~mv2.png/v1/fill/w_104,h_59,al_c,q_85,usm_0.66_1.00_0.01,blur_2,enc_auto/Black%20Maternal%20Health%20Momnibus%5B62160%5D.png)
The Black Maternal Health Momnibus Act
The Black Maternal Health Momnibus Act includes 13 individual bills that will:
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Make critical investments in social determinants of health that influence maternal health outcomes, like housing, transportation, and nutrition.
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Extend WIC eligibility in the postpartum and breastfeeding periods.
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Provide funding to community-based organizations that are working to improve maternal health outcomes and promote equity.
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Increase funding for programs to improve maternal health care for veterans.
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Grow and diversify the perinatal workforce to ensure that every mom in America receives maternal health care and support from people they trust.
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Improve data collection processes and quality measures to better understand the causes of the maternal health crisis in the United States and inform solutions to address it.
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Support moms with maternal mental health conditions and substance use disorders.
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Improve maternal health care and support for incarcerated moms.
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Invest in digital tools to improve maternal health outcomes in underserved areas.
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Promote innovative payment models to incentivize high-quality maternity care and non-clinical support during and after pregnancy.
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Invest in federal programs to address maternal and infant health risks during public health emergencies.
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Invest in community-based initiatives to reduce levels of and exposure to climate change-related risks for moms and babies.
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Promote maternal vaccinations to protect the health of moms and babies.
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Introduced in 2020 and passed in February of 2021, the Black Maternal health Momnibus Act attempts to produce incremental but profound and lasting change on Black reproductive healthcare by proposing extensive policy changes.
now
advocacy & Action
By restoring key elements of the FACT Act and mandating transparency in the operations of reproductive healthcare facilities through bills like 9122, those experiencing pregnancy can be assured that they will find the proper help, education, and resources they are seeking from licensed healthcare professionals.
NYS Senate-Assembly Bill 9122: Requires disclosure by crisis pregnancy centers to clients that such center will not provide abortion or birth control services or make a referral for such services, and that such center is not a licensed medical provider; provides such notice shall be conducted upon first communication or first contact with the client and shall be either in a written statement or oral communication by staff assisting the client.
Pregnancy is a monumental, life-changing experience that places an enormous burden of care on the carrier. Regardless of a pregnant person’s personal beliefs or choice to or not to proceed with birth, they should be able to navigate the reproductive healthcare space without fear of misinformation, fearmongering, and harassment. Transparency and Truth should be a right.
CONCLUSIONS?
In order to adequately assess the way religiosity functions within the lives of adolescent Black mothers, we'd need to conduct a much more extensive study, surveying the experiences of women in religious Black communities across the nation. However, from the findings we do have, our team deciphered that these mothers fell back onto more secular forms of ritualistic practice -- like self care.
We may not have been able to identify a common thread in the role religiosity played in these mothers’ lives, but we were able to create something extremely powerful in the process: a space to hear and be heard.
We will continue to platform these voices for as long as we are able.
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Essence Smith, Shanbrae McFarland, & Gia Mitcham