Reproductive Justice

2/16/2020

She is young, and alone in this great country.
Her native tongue washed away by the essence of what they call freedom.
Seventeen years of age and seven months pregnant.
Afraid of what is to come.

Nine months have passed, and the day has now arrived.
Mixed emotions wash over her body as she walks the hallway of the hospital.
She hears a newborn cry in the room next to hers.
Wishing her mother was beside her.
Her trial has begun.

All those birthing courses that she barely understood.
She starts to wonder if it is in her to succeed.
The pains become intense.
She holds her husband’s hand.
Five hours in, and her anxiety gets worse.
She feels that somethings wrong, but the staff ignore her cries.
What could a young girl like her know?

Ten hours have passed, and the pains have gotten worse.
She sees the doctors gaze.
Their expressions all seem worried.
Her world starts spiraling and they all start yelling.
She’s losing all sensation.
It’s a hemorrhage they say.
Everything goes black.

Five hours later she awakens.
Her body is in shock.
The pain is overwhelming. She hears a cry.
She suddenly remembers why she’s there.
Her daughter has arrived.

This poem was inspired by my mother and all she went through when she gave birth to me in the state of California at the age of seventeen. The readings that inspired this poem was Reproductive Justice by Loretta Ross “The universality of the reproductive justice framework means that everyone has the same human rights. Applying the theory of intersectionality accounts for what every person needs- based on individual and group identities- to have their human rights protected and respected. In other words, intersectionality is the process; human rights are the goal”. The reason this quote inspired me is because my mother said she felt unheard by the medical staff because of her age, and because she knew so little English. The goal of human rights is to protect and respect everyone and their opinions no matter what their background may be. Vulnerable women are often overlooked because of systematic inequality.
-Karina H

9 Comments

Marisol Bejarano

2/16/2020 11:55:58 pm

That is such a beautiful poem! I think that it's amazing hearing these typwes of stories because it's reminds you of everything that our mothers and all other women who give birth go through. The amzing things that they do for us and all the pain they go through for us is something to admire.

Jordan Tomas

2/17/2020 12:28:35 am

Very touching poem! I cannot even imagine what women go through during the hours of childbirth. It must have been especially difficult for your mother due to the language barrier. It is unfortunate that immigrant pregnant women are at such a disadvantage due to the differences in culture and language. The Giving Birth in California video brings another perspective on how childbirth for immigrants can be challenging. This can increase a woman's anxiety, stress, and risk for other health problems.

Caitlin wort

2/17/2020 05:19:22 pm

The poem you wrote is amazing! I loved reading it and it reminded me a lot about this past weeks videos we watched about giving birth in America. I was specifically reminded about the young girl in Louisiana who was all alone and was quite young while already having her third child. Your mom is amazing for what she went through when she was 17. I can’t even begin to imagine how terrified and anxiety ridden she was while she was in the hospital alone.

Selena Sorn

2/18/2020 12:33:31 pm

This is a great poem! It truly illustrates the experience that your mother went through. Seeing that your mother felt unheard by medical staff because of language and age shows the bias that medical staff may have against women. In healthcare, we must work against biases and shouldn't use it against patients. If medical staff are bias, it can result in lack of trust and unequal treatment towards patients. Health care workers must understand and respect patients and their background.

Janely Gonzalez

2/20/2020 09:49:56 pm

Hello,
thank you for sharing your poem, I loved it! I liked how you brought up the fact that sometimes women, or people in general, feel unheard by staff due to language barriers or personal opinions. Over time the United States have become incredibility diverse with millions of people speaking so many different languages. It is so important to have staff to accommodate for these individuals so they feel valued, comfortable, and safe.

Joo Kang

2/21/2020 01:30:42 am

I always love to see the inspiring poem and I just think it's a great way to impact others to understand what is really going on. Especially when it first started with "Her native tongue washed away by the essence of what they call freedom" caught my attention the most as an Asian girl with an accent. Individual accents can easily draw a boundary on what they can do or how successful they can be, bring intersectionality to the table. We appreciate your poem a lot, thank you.

Erica Nguyen

2/21/2020 06:47:47 pm

This poem was so beautiful. It made me immediately remember reading about the facts of how many women each year die giving birth. I immediately thought about how all these deaths were happening in a country that is rich and developed and it really made me wonder why this is still happening. The first stanza really struck a chord with me because I was raised by immigrant parents and I could list the various problems that they had to face when they got to this country. I liked the last thing you said about protecting and respecting everyone and their opinion no matter what their background is. It made me realize that we still have a long ways to go.

Savannah Compton

2/24/2020 02:31:42 am

Hello Karina, I am so amazed by this poem. Thank you for sharing such a personal story. It is so upsetting that women go through such a beautiful thing in life of giving birth but instead it is not a great experience for them. Women of color have language barriers, higher mortality rates, higher complication rates, transportation issues and so much more that impact their health. This experience is already such a nerve wrecking and scary experience and to have more issues going against you is even more scarier when giving birth. Hopefully this issue will be more addressed in the U.S and other countries.

Mariam Elias

3/11/2020 01:04:00 am

I love your poem, it is powerful and touching. I felt a little sad because of what your mother had to go through while giving birth to you. But I am glad you were born, so you can support her and make her proud.

Reproductive Justice

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