Women's Health in the Balance
Dear Colleagues and Students:
No matter what side of the debate you are on, the national conversation about U.S. Supreme Court nominee Judge Brett Kavanaugh and Dr. Christine Blasey Ford will continue for some time, regardless of the FBI investigation or the Senate vote.
From a public health perspective, Kavanaugh’s appointment will have serious implications for the rights of women to make their own reproductive health care decisions, and affect how they face sexual harassment and inequality in the workplace and in society.
This was of such concern to the American Public Health Association that its executive director, Dr. Georges Benjamin, took the unusual step to announce opposition to the judge’s confirmation. As he wrote in a letter, “After a detailed examination of Judge Kavanaugh’s previous opinions and his other publically stated views on key public health issues, APHA wrote to the members of the Senate Judiciary Committee urging them to question Judge Kavanaugh about his record on public health issues. Unfortunately, neither during his responses to questions at the confirmation hearing nor in his subsequent written responses for the record did Judge Kavanaugh demonstrate that he would act in the interest of the public’s health as a Supreme Court justice.”
It’s important to remember that Judge Kavanaugh’s appointment could “pose a threat to the right to access birth control for women across the country, in particular low-income women and women of color who face higher barriers to access. Access to contraception is essential to women’s health, economic security, autonomy and equality. Yet, working women who have a harder time accessing reproductive services and contraception are disproportionately Latina and African American because, among other reasons, they earn lower wages and are less likely to have health care coverage that covers out-of-pocket health care costs.” (The Lily/Washington Post)
As the allegations by Dr. Ford underscore, sexual harassment is a significant part of this health equation, as evidenced by a new study just released on Wednesday. Lead author Dr. Rebecca Thurston, Professor of Epidemiology, Psychiatry and Psychology at the University of Pittsburgh, who also directs its Women’s Behavioral Health Laboratory, found that “the trauma of sexual assault or harassment is not only hard to forget; it may also leave lasting effects on a woman’s health,” including anxiety, depression, poor sleep and an increased risk of high blood pressure. (NPR)
Perhaps those of us in the field of public health are uniquely qualified to understand the gravity of Judge Kavanaugh’s Supreme Court confirmation. The threat that it poses to the health and livelihoods of families nationwide cannot be understated. We must continue to stand up for the equitable treatment and reproductive rights of all women in the U.S. or risk the reversal of decades of progress.
Cheryl G. Healton, DrPH,
Dean