An important and awesome step from a major pro-choice organization: Coming out in favor of comprehensive immigration reform, because it’s good for women and good for public health:
NARAL Pro-Choice America believes every woman has the right to make her own reproductive-health decisions. That principle stands, regardless of her immigration status.
Moreover, regressive immigration laws and policies that force people to live in the shadows place the health of millions of men, women, and children at risk. Immigrant families—many of whom have legal residency—face innumerable barriers to medical care: many by law are denied participation in health programs, “proof of citizenship” requirements are common, and immigrants without the necessary legal documentation are barred altogether from the health-insurance exchanges in the Affordable Care Act. These institutional barriers, along with the fear of harassment and prosecution, serve to deny health services to millions of aspiring citizens – a pregnant woman in need of prenatal care, a young couple needing family-planning services, a teen seeking STI testing and treatment.
No person should be stigmatized or driven underground by unfair or unreasonable anti-immigration laws or other barriers. In addition to falling far short of America’s promise, such restrictions constitute unwise health policy and are contrary to the fundamental principle of reproductive freedom.
For these reasons, NARAL Pro-Choice America stands alongside many progressive organizations, leaders, and individuals in support of an inclusive immigration policy that reflects the American values of freedom and opportunity.
Nice work, NARAL!