Taking a Stand for Reproductive Rights & Mental Health
Many of us fear what will happen to reproductive rights as an upcoming Supreme Court case threatens Roe v. Wade. According to Guttmacher Institute data, “as of April 14, 86 bills to restrict or outright ban [abortion] have been introduced in 31 states this year alone.”
These new laws restricting abortion range from 6-week bans to 15-week bans to bans on the abortion pill. As explained by NPR, “in Texas, a woman's opportunity to get an abortion has already changed. For the tens of thousands of Texas women who seek an abortion every year, access has been cut at least in half.”
In response, private companies are coming together to protect employees who may be affected by this legislation. As a women-led company, Samata Health is proud to join this movement. We understand not only the importance of reproductive rights but also the devastating impact unwanted pregnancy can have on mental health.
Setting the Stage: How do Reproductive Rights Relate to Mental Health?
As a community, we think so much about the physical act of abortion. But we rarely talk about the psychological distress unwanted pregnancies cause women and their partners, often for decades to come. In fact, experiencing unwanted pregnancies appears to be strongly associated with poor mental health effects for women. The impacts are countless, but a couple of examples are highlighted below:
Women who are denied an abortion are more likely to initially experience higher levels of anxiety, lower life satisfaction and lower self-esteem compared with women who received an abortion.
There is a strong relationship between unwanted pregnancy and interpersonal violence. Specifically, the inability to obtain an abortion may force women to stay in contact with violent partners, putting them and their children at risk.
The Pledge
As reproductive rights come under fire, Laura Spiekerman, co-founder & CRO at Samata Health’s partner Alloy, took action. More specifically, she took a pledge.
“The reproductive rights pledge is a call for businesses to provide more comprehensive support for the reproductive rights of their employees amid the growing number of anti-abortion laws in the US.
In January 2022, Alloy announced new company benefits to stand in solidarity with our employees because we believe that limitations on abortion care and reproductive rights contribute to a less equitable society and diminish economic growth. Due to the overwhelming support from other organizations, we are opening up this pledge for other companies to join us.”
The leadership team at Samata Health has proudly signed this pledge & committed to the following policies to help support the reproductive rights of employees:
Cover 50% of legal expenses up to $5,000 if any employee (or their partner) suffers legal issues as a result of anti-abortion laws.
Contribute up to $1,500 towards travel expenses for employees (or their partners) needing to travel out of state for abortion care.
Contribute up to $1,500 for out-of-pocket medical costs for an employee (or their partner) in need of out-of-network abortion care.
Not make any charitable donations to pro-life causes.
“We’re proud to stand with our employees and help them live healthy and happy lives in any way we can.”
- Laura Spiekerman, Co-Founder & CRO, Alloy
Resources for Women & Families:
"Reproductive mental health specialists were a must when building our platform. Therapy offers a safe and supportive space to process the distress unwanted pregnancies cause and learn tools to cope with the related symptoms."
-Sarah Malavenda, LMSW & Co-Founder, Samata Health
