Thread by @CARHEumn

Happening NOW!

Follow this🧵for live tweets of the #Barnraising panel discussion feat. @DrCMBoraas @UshmaU @ajeanstevenson Dr. Suzanne Bell & Dr. Siri Suh! @minnpop #abortion #healthequity

https://twitter.com/minnpop/status/1639344260565590017

Dr. Siri Suh is faculty at @BrandeisU & teaches Sociology of Reproduction.

Last fall after the #Dobbs decision, enrollment in this class doubled. Shows interest but also alarm in the aftermath of overturn of #RoevWade. @minnpop #Barnraising #abortion

Dr. Siri Suh's research area is post-#abortion care in Senegal, which is a country where abortion is prohibited.

Recently, she has focused on use of misoprostol & working to decolonize reproductive health knowledge in Sub-Saharan Africa. @minnpop #Barnraising #healthequity

@ajeanstevenson of @CUBoulder_SOCY is a demographer who studies family planning, contraception access, & #abortion in the US.

She works to study (& forestall) coming restrictions on contraception. @minnpop #Barnraising #healthequity

Dr. Suzanne Bell of @JohnsHopkinsSPH studies reproductive care & #abortion access in Sub-Saharan Africa.

She is also moving into studying infertility in the Global South, which has been a too often ignored aspect of health. @minnpop #Barnraising #healthequity

@UshmaU of @UCSF_ObGynRS is a demographer & epidemiologist who focuses on #abortion access & safety in the US.

Another recent area of focus recently is telehealth abortion access. @minnpop #Barnraising #healthequity

"Roe was never enough" says @UshmaU, which is why she has advocated for the safety & access of telehealth #abortion care since even before #COVID19.

She & her team will soon publish data on who is accessing this innovation in health care. @minnpop #Barnraising #healthequity

@DrCMBoraas to the panelists: What is something POSITIVE you've seen in #abortion policy, access, & research?

With her global perspective, Dr. Suzanne Bell of @JohnsHopkinsSPH has seen hopeful improvements to #abortion access & advocacy. @minnpop #Barnraising #healthequity

Dr. Siri Suh of @BrandeisU shares a case study from Ethiopia, where advocates showed that financially it was much cheaper to liberalize #abortion policy than to pay for expensive post-abortion complications from restrictive laws. @minnpop #Barnraising #healthequity

@UshmaU expresses hope & gratitude about the increased diversity of #abortion researchers.

However, she tempers this hope by bluntly saying "We [researchers] haven't done enough, bc #Dobbs happened." @minnpop #Barnraising #healthequity

@ajeanstevenson agrees with @UshmaU, but says she is incredibly encouraged to see that #abortion researchers are more invested in "Getting it right" with their methods, language, & advocacy. @minnpop #Barnraising #healthequity

@UshmaU adds that she is glad to see that media coverage of #abortion has improved. Narrative change is one of the pillars of achieving #healthequity. @minnpop #Barnraising

@DrCMBoraas to the #Barnraising panelists: What are the THREATS you see to #abortion and #ReproductiveJustice?

"We knew you were going to ask that, but it's hard to answer bc the threats are SO MUCH BIGGER than #abortion. They're part of a larger constellation of strategies to [oppress birthing people]."

—@ajeanstevenson via @minnpop #Barnraising

"We see that the states with the worst maternal health outcomes are also the places with the worst restrictions on #abortion."

—Dr. Suzanne Bell of @JohnsHopkinsSPH via @minnpop #Barnraising

Dr. Siri Suh of @BrandeisU explains the inadequacy of self-led #abortion & misoprostol access.

Structural oppression means that only birthing people w social, economic, & intellectual capital can navigate health systems safely enough to access this care. @minnpop #Barnraising

@UshmaU adds that even self-managed #abortion is under current threat by current lawsuits attacking mifepristone approval from FDA.

"This is health care," she reminds us. "It should be accessible & affordable for everyone." @minnpop #Barnraising

"We know about #abortion pills. We know they're safe, we should make sure they are accessible in the US... But [structural factors] mean that currently only already privileged people can access it. So access barriers reproduce disparities."

—Dr. Suzanne Bell of @JohnsHopkinsSPH

"Research isn't enough to increase #healthequity."

—@ajeanstevenson via @minnpop #Barnraising, on how #abortion researchers need to be careful & intentional to make sure they aren't replicating harm

"I agree with @ajeanstevenson that research on its own isn't going to achieve #healthequity. But by [providing our data on #abortion to policy makers & advocates], we CAN be part of the solution."

—@UshmaU via @minnpop #Barnraising

Dr. Siri Suh of @BrandeisU talks the glaring inequities not just of initial access to #abortion, but also the potential catastrophic aftermaths of health crisis, arrest, & imprisonment when abortion is illegal & unsafe. @minnpop #Barnraising

Dr. Suzanne Bell of @JohnsHopkinsSPH reminds us of the intersecting structural inequities of #abortion restrictions w maternal health desserts, delayed pre-natal care, & socioeconomic disparity. @minnpop #Barnraising

"In areas where #abortion is restricted, the safety of staying pregnant has gotten worse."

—@ajeanstevenson via @minpop #Barnraising, summing up Dr. Suzanne Bell's comments on intersecting structural factors on reproductive health outcomes

@UshmaU uplifts an important post-#Dobbs project on #abortion care from @UCSF, "Care Post #Roe." Learn more now: carepostroe.ucsf.edu

@minnpop #Barnraising #healthequity

Dr. Siri Suh of @BrandeisU talks the wide ranging ripple effects of #Dobbs on health care providers, birthing people, and #abortion seekers in our post-#RoevWade world. @minnpop #Barnraising #healthequity

"We do a disservice when we separate #abortion from other forms of reproductive care," says Dr. Suzanne Bell of @JohnsHopkinsSPH. This kind of silo misses using contraception, reproductive health care, etc over the life course of birthing people. @minnpop #Barnraising

All the #Barnraising panelists—@DrCMBoraas @UshmaU @ajeanstevenson Dr. Suzanne Bell & Dr. Siri Suh—repeatedly emphasize that #abortion is HEALTH CARE.

And since abortion is health care, it should be accessible & affordable for everyone who needs it. @minnpop #healthequity

A q from the #Barnraising audience has the panelists talking about OBGYN education, and how #Dobbs impacts #abortion training.

In MN, OBGYN residents can still receive full training. Next door in WI, they can't. This is a huge problem. @minnpop #healthequity #RoevWade

In the audience, @Fuentes_Liza reminds us that many US clinics didn't provide #abortion care & training even before #Dobbs overturned #RoevWade. "People are agnostic it. It's disappointing." @minnpop #Barnraising #healthequity

Dr. Siri Suh of @BrandeisU brings up that #abortion care does not exclusively happen in OBGYN clinics. It happens in general care, in emergency rooms, in hospitals.

"Will hospitals be stocked w miso/mife? Will they know how to provide appropriate care?" @minnpop #Barnraising

Audience member asks about #Dobbs & the recent case study from Idaho of a hospital ceasing deliveries all together due to the burdens of #abortion restrictions. @minnpop #Barnraising #healthequity #RoevWade theguardian.com/us-news/2023/m…

The panelists agree that #abortion policy has intricate intersections for all forms of reproductive health care. @minnpop #Barnraising #Dobbs #RoevWade #healthequity

Q from Zoom: Has there been any work to understand risk of the home remedies used in other geographies? I hear the sentiment of people not having access/ed about FDA approved pharmaceutical options and is that bc what they are already using is "working" to a degree for them?

@UshmaU balances importance of #abortion research w not wishing to invalidate traditional herbal methods from across the world. @minnpop #Barnraising #healthequity

Dr. Suzanne Bell of @JohnsHopkinsSPH talks about differences between traditional herbal methods vs unsafe & ineffective self-administered methods, e.g. drinking bleach, inserting foreign objects, & self-harm to achieve #abortion. @minnpop #Barnraising

Dr. Siri Suh of @BrandeisU reminds us why people will use potentially unsafe self-administered #abortion methods:

Bc they are discreet.

Bc they don't require disclosures.

Bc they avoid costs & exposure of health institutions.

All the panelists agree. This is why they care so much about access to safe, affordable, & confidential #abortion care as a part of the full breadth of reproductive care for birthing people. @minnpop #Barnraising #healthequity

Q from Zoom audience: How do we address the siloing of #abortion research? @minnpop #Barnraising

Dr. Siri Suh of @BrandeisU explains the difficulties bc #abortion isn't just siloed in #publichealth research; it can be siloed in health care, education, policy, etc. @minnpop #Barnraising #healthequity

@ajeanstevenson adds that it can be hard to even get basic knowledge on #abortion realities.

"Like, abortions happen on Saturdays! How many research papers have I seen that only look at weekdays? There is a lack of basic knowledge." @minnpop #Barnraising

Dr. Suzanne Bell of @JohnsHopkinsSPH acknowledges the social/academic pressures that discourage #abortion research.

Pushback from admin, students, funders, etc all create barriers to good-faith research. @minnpop #Barnraising #healthequity

@UshmaU expresses disappointment that many big funders don't currently finance #abortion research, but also hope that large funders like @gatesfoundation will shift to give resources to this critical area. @minnpop #Barnraising #healthequity

Dr. Siri Suh of @BrandeisU expresses frustration at policy like the Helms Amendment that create barriers not only for #abortion providers but also researchers across the globe. @minnpop #Barnraising #healthequity kff.org/global-health-…

Dr. Siri Suh of @BrandeisU & @UshmaU discuss both the barriers & innovative work-arounds to conduct critical #abortion research despite restrictive policy like Helms Amendment. @minnpop #Barnraising #healthequity

From the audience, @ReproResearcher asks about the parallels between post-#GeorgeFloyd interest in #healthequity & post-#Dobbs interest in #abortion. She is concerned about #HealthEquityTourism in these intersecting areas. @minnpop #Barnraising link.springer.com/article/10.100…

We can't recommend enough reading @ElleLettMDPhD's 2022 article Health Equity Tourism: Ravaging the Justice Landscape.

This is a foundational must-read for anyone interested in #healthequity research. @minnpop #Barnraising link.springer.com/article/10.100…

Clarification from @Fuentes_Liza:

https://twitter.com/Fuentes_Liza/status/1640392571410169878?s=20

The current funding environment creates a catch-22 that can both elevate toxic #HealthEquityTourism yet also create self-censorship among good-faith #abortion researchers. @minnpop #Barnraising

The panelists end by uplifting the importance of #abortion research, positive funding, & centering real-world strides to #healthequity. @minnpop #Barnraising

A huge THANK YOU to all the #Barnraising panelists, @DrCMBoraas @UshmaU @ajeanstevenson Dr. Suzanne Bell & Dr. Siri Suh!

We are so grateful that you shared your knowledge, experience, & passion w us! Your changemaking work will help us achieve #abortion #healthequity. @minnpop

We at @CARHEumn always say that EVERYONE has a role to play in the work of #antiracism, and EVERYONE can play a role in protecting #abortion care.

This work is fueled by love, and we encourage everyone to self-educate, get engaged, & practice self-care!: carhe.umn.edu/get-involved/t…

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