California Latinas for Reproductive Justice: A new model for developing participatory, community-based policy advocacy to advance Latinas'/os' reproductive health and rights in California


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

4238.0: Tuesday, December 13, 2005 - 2:30 PM

Abstract #110605

Rocio L. Córdoba, JD, Co-Founder, California Latinas for Reproductive Justice, Attorney at Law / Policy & Advocacy Consultant, P.O. Box 412225, Los Angeles, CA 90041, 213-925-6020, cordoba@gseis.ucla.edu

California Latinas for Reproductive Justice (CLRJ), a new policy advocacy organization, was established to address the reproductive health needs of California's Latino community. CLRJ's mission is to advance reproductive health and rights within a social justice and human rights framework with a policy platform and advocacy strategies that are directly informed by California's Latinas/os. CLRJ relied extensively on community-based research addressing the needs, beliefs and attitudes of Latino adults and teens to inform its reproductive health policy priorities. It will also collaborate with strategically identified community-based organizations and leaders to ensure that its ongoing policy work is reflective of the state's diverse Latino/a communities. This session will review key findings of the research identifying the need for a statewide Latina/o policy voice in reproductive health advocacy. It will also present CLRJ's overarching policy goals: 1) To ensure that Latinas/os have access to comprehensive, accurate, and unbiased sexuality health and rights information and services that are culturally and linguistically appropriate to improve their quality of life and ensure healthy communities; 2) To ensure that Latina/o youth have access to comprehensive reproductive health information and services and educational and social supports in order to have healthy, productive and economically secure futures; and 3) To reframe reproductive and sexuality health and rights to reflect the health, cultural, social, economic, and environmental needs and priorities of Latino communities. Finally, the session will describe the collaborative process used in developing the organization and the steps taken to ensure structural soundness, fiscal viability, and accountability.

Learning Objectives:

At the conclusion of the session, the participants in this session will be able to

a. Identify new models for applying community-based research to inform and develop statewide policy advocacy that advances Latinas’/os’ comprehensive access to reproductive health and rights.
b. Identify strategies for applying health and social science research and data analysis to demonstrate unique health and social disparities for Latina women and Latino/a youth and the need for developing targeted policy and advocacy strategies to address such disparities.
c. Identify emerging state-level health and social policies that directly impact Latino communities.
d. Understand how these state health and social policies work to either impede or facilitate access to comprehensive, quality, culturally and linguistically competent reproductive health services and information for Latina women and Latina/o youth.
e. Engage in advocacy to protect and promote broad reproductive health needs as defined and identified by the Latino community within a social justice framework.

Keywords: Latino Health, Reproductive Health

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

I wish to disclose that I have NO financial interests or other relationship with the manufactures of commercial products, suppliers of commercial services or commercial supporters.

Latina Reproductive Health in the United States

The 133rd Annual Meeting & Exposition (December 10-14, 2005) of APHA