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We are experiencing a disturbing trend.
Legislators are exerting their influence across the country, and in our region, to create roadblocks to accessibility, impeding the civil liberties of minority people.
Instead of using the positions that have been granted to them by the people and to honor the inherent dignity of us all, they are using their positions to disparage it. Many would have you believe these matters are insular, when in fact they impact each one of us. It is not simply about gender, sex, and race. It’s about our collective humanity and well-being.
For the past 14 months the U.S. Supreme Court has been tactically rolling back legal protections for the right to provide access to reproductive healthcare. It has upheld discriminatory precedents targeting the LGBTQ+ community, and gutted affirmative action, effectively ending race-conscious admission programs in colleges and universities. There are broader implications from this ruling on the horizon.
In the wake of Supreme Court decisions, state legislatures, including Missouri’s, are rushing to further restrict access to health care and pass discriminatory laws.
In June 2022, Missouri was one of the first states within 24 hours of the Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization decision to severely restrict access to abortion absent of a medical emergency.
This is about so much more than abortion rights. The variability in the standard of care is jeopardizing maternal health where traumatic experiences, including miscarriages, ectopic pregnancies, and other complications are now being scrutinized, postponed, even denied.
This past June, Missouri’s governor signed into law bans on gender-affirming medical care for minors and trans athletes in women’s sports. Both laws will become effective later this month. In addition to denying access to care for youth and families, these actions diminish the rights of parents to make decisions in context of their child’s unique life experience while also exacerbating a dire youth mental health crisis where suicidal ideation is on the rise among LGBTQ+ youth.
It is each of our birthrights to live freely, joyfully, and wholly and to be embraced, respected, and cherished for who we are. We have a responsibility to recognize and respond to hate while protecting the rights, lives, and dreams of the LGBTQ+ community. A vibrant democracy and a just society depend on it.
The Supreme Court’s recent decision on affirmative action will lead to future attempts to roll back laws and policies designed to ensure that historically marginalized and excluded people have equitable access to educational, employment, and generational wealth-building opportunities.
The decision is reckless and disregards the truth of America’s history– that this country was built on the foundation of systemic racism and dominance and fueled by a gross mischaracterization of the Christian faith.
The consequences will be immediate and reverberating, as past evidence has shown, with some colleges, universities, and graduate and professional schools admitting fewer Black and Brown students leading to a less representative community of students and ultimately a less representative workforce. This matters most when representation (or the lack thereof) influences the outcome of a life-or-death situation.
This decision attempts to chill and choke racial equity and inclusion efforts in the public and private sector alike – from corporations to not-for-profit organizations to philanthropic organizations.
If left up to those who have a pre-Civil War vision of America, there will be a fear-based response to sunset anti-racism resolutions and commitments to racial equity made following the murder of George Floyd.
Health disparities will exacerbate, and we will move further from achieving health justice for all.
I’m glad to know with conviction that we hold a bold and inclusive vision for this country. Despite the barrage of attacks and reversals, we will persist and win.
We see this persistence demonstrated in the coalition of faith leaders who are suing Missouri to challenge its abortion bans and restrictions on the basis of religious freedom. We see lawmakers in states including Illinois extending legal protections and increasing access for those seeking reproductive healthcare and gender-affirming care.
We are at a turning point. Which America will we, our children, and our children’s children live in?
Deaconess Foundation, side-by-side with our funded and community partners, are covenanted to sharpen our advocacy for health, racial, and social justice toward our vision of America.
We honor and cherish the inherent worth and dignity of every person and work to protect the rights of every person to live fully and freely in our democracy. And, we are committed, more than ever to using our platforms, resources, and power to build an inclusive society where opportunities and resources are equitably accessible for those who need us most.
Keep fighting the good fight of faith. We are in this together.
Rev. Bethany Johnson-Javois, MSW, is president & CEO of Deaconess Foundation, pastor of Monument of Faith Church, a commissioner with the St. Louis Regional Health Commission.
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