Back to Annual Meeting Page		American Public Health Association 133rd Annual Meeting & Exposition December 10-14, 2005 Philadelphia, PA

Abstract #109554

Destiny Lopez, MPA, Latino Reproductive Rights Project, Institute for Reproductive Health Access, 427 Broadway, 3rd Floor, New York, NY 10013, 212-343-0114 ext, 20, dlopez@prochoiceny.org and Nancy Conde, Hispanic Federation, 130 William Street, 9th Floor, New York, NY 10038.

Latinas experience higher rates of unintended pregnancy and some sexually transmitted infections than the general population of women in the United States. Simultaneously, Hispanic voters have soared from two percent of the overall U.S. voting population in the 1988 Presidential elections to seven percent in the 2000 elections, and are projected to become 14 percent of the electorate by 2010. Latino views on reproductive rights are complex and are likely to vary based on national origin, age, gender and the length of time an individual has lived in the United States. Virtually no information exists examining why Latinos oppose or support abortion restrictions and how they respond to arguments made by both supporters and opponents of expanded reproductive health access and a woman's right to choose. This session will examine results from focus groups conducted in New York City to examine Latino attitudes toward family planning and abortion, and messages used by mainstream reproductive rights advocacy organizations to engage Latinos in the abortion debate. Participants will learn how to forge collaborations between traditional reproductive health advocacy groups and Latino health and human service agencies to better engage Latinos in accessing and promoting reproductive health care and rights.

Learning Objectives: