I just finished reading Xpress’ Volume 29, No. 29, the Women’s Issue for this year. I enjoyed the articles that were included. However, I am hugely disappointed by the lack of any article on reproductive rights.
In a year when women’s reproductive rights have been struck down at the federal level, when women everywhere are reeling with dismay over what might happen to them, to their daughters, nieces and granddaughters, other than a Planned Parenthood ad, I saw no mention whatsoever of the effect of that Supreme Court decision on Buncombe County or on family planning services in this area.
I would have loved to have seen an article that interviewed folks from Planned Parenthood. I would like to know what local hospitals are likely to do if North Carolina goes down the same path as so many states in the South and decides to, essentially, take away a woman’s right to choose.
What will they do if the new conservative majority in the state legislature criminalizes doctors and nurses who treat women with complicated pregnancies? The maternal mortality rate in this country is the highest of any developed nation, and it’s even higher for women of color. If the laws here change, will that happen at Mission? At Advent? At Pardee?
Maybe it’s too soon to see such an article. Maybe it’ll take some time to get any picture of how yanking women’s right to choose back to 1972 will affect this area. I look forward to seeing something on this in the “Women’s Issue” next year.
— Lisa Ray
Asheville
Editor’s response: Thank you for reading Xpress and sharing your thoughts about this year’s Women’s Issue. Many of the topics you raise concerning women’s reproductive rights were covered in earlier issues. You can find the following articles online: “How State Law Restricts WNC Residents’ Access to Abortion” (avl.mx/ch8), “Abortion Ruling Will Impact Asheville’s Planned Parenthood” (avl.mx/ch9), “How Might Abortion Restrictions Impact Child Welfare in WNC?” (avl.mx/cha) and “The Hardest Choice: Local Woman Shares Experience of Abortion at 16 Weeks” (avl.mx/chc). We will also continue to monitor and cover the issue of women’s reproductive rights and its impact on local residents as the matter evolves.
Your concerns are warranted but being a locally focused new outlet I am unsure of why clamoring for more coverage is or was needed. There has been plenty of webspace and ink given the freedom of choice and abortion debates.