“This is an important and necessary step to ensure a person’s right to make decisions about their health is not in any way limited by factors like race, ethnicity, gender, sexual identity or socioeconomic status.”
- Maria I. Rodriguez, M.D., M.P.H., director of the Center for Reproductive Health Equity
Reproductive health is fundamental to the rights and wellbeing of the individual, their family and the community. Since the fall of Roe v Wade, more than a dozen states have banned abortions. Many others have restricted access to care.
The U.S. has one of the highest rates of maternal mortality and morbidity in developed nations. These rates are unequitably distributed among people of color and those who are low-income. A key driver of this public health crisis is limited access to birth control and abortion. Since 2022, legislators have passed over 500 policies that restrict reproductive health care access. These restrictions span maternity care and newborn health, contraceptive use and abortion care.
To address these disparities and ensure equal access to reproductive health care for all, OHSU established the Center for Reproductive Health Equity.
