Last year the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade declaring open season on the right to abortion in the U.S. However, the restriction of reproductive rights doesn’t stop at abortion. States around the country are failing when it comes to a wide range of reproductive rights including: family planning, sex education, minors’ ability to access reproductive health care, abortion, and more.

For the last decade by the Population Institute has annually tracked multiple indicators of reproductive health and rights and graded states on how they were faring when it comes to reproductive health and rights. This year rePROs Fight Back continued that work ranking each of the 50 states and the District of Columbia on three broad indicators relating to reproductive health and rights: prevention, affordability, and access. Criteria include sex education, minors’ access to birth control, access to emergency contraception in the emergency room, Medicaid expansion including family planning expansion, abortion policy, and more.

With 26 states and the U.S. overall receiving failing grades the report card makes it clear we are failing when it comes to reproductive health and rights. The effects are devastating and not felt equally. BIPOC, people with low-incomes, young people, those with disabilities, the LGBTQ+ community, and those at multiple intersections of these identities are the most impacted. In the wake of Dobbs, it became more apparent than ever that there are two Americas: one in which people can exercise their reproductive rights and another in which they cannot.

Background: Discrimination in the US is pervasive and is a major contributor to sexual and reproductive health disparities experienced by African American/ Black women. Social inequities may be barriers to sexual pleasure, including sexual satisfaction and orgasm. The purpose of this study was to assess the association between discrimination and sexuality outcomes among a sample of young adult Black women.

Methods: Participants were recruited as part of a formative research study using purposive sampling, between April and June 2019 in community-based locations around Baltimore, MD and Washington, DC. Heterosexually active Black women, ages 18-35 years old, and English literate were eligible to participate. Measures of everyday discrimination (EDS) were assessed. Multiple linear regression was used to test the association with sexual pleasure and well-being outcomes of Sexual Satisfaction (NSSS), and orgasm (FOS).

Results: In this sample of 269 young adult Black women, participants’ mean age was 27.5 years old (SD=3.86); 11% were Latina; and most (74.0%) completed education beyond high school. Among the sample 93.7% identified as heterosexual. The mean EDS was 20.6 (SD=7.49), Majority reported race as the main reason for discrimination (74.4%). The mean FOS score was 288.62 (SD=75.0); the mean NSSS was 64.78 (SD=11.38). EDS was statistically significantly associated with NSSS but not FOS.

Conclusions: Preliminary analysis shows that discrimination and sexual dissatisfaction is high among this sample. Given the harmful effects that discrimination and racism have on African Americans’ well-being, more specific actions and advocacy should be developed and implemented to improve Black women’s sexual health.

The first months and year of a child’s life or placement in an adoptive/foster home are critical to their development and require intensive physical and emotional labor and support from their caregivers. The US is the only high income country in the world that fails to ensure families receive parental leave benefits. International data show that generous paid parental leave has numerous positive impacts, including: improved physical and emotional wellbeing during pregnancy and postpartum for birthing parents, improved birth outcomes and infant health, violence prevention, increased economic wellbeing and gender equity. This presentation reports on the need for and benefits of ample paid parental leave, the implementation of such a policy at the NC Coalition Against Domestic Violence, and its impact.

During the first year of implementation, two staff members used the new six month, fully paid parental leave benefit. Interviews with both staff members who took leave in 2022 showed how impactful this policy is physically, emotionally, and financially. In response to an internal Paid Family Leave survey, staff were highly supportive of providing economic stability, providing time for parent and child to bond and the family to adjust to a huge life change, and supporting the physical healing process after birth for employees who take this leave. Recommendations for improvement included preparation of and fair compensation for staff who covered job responsibilities while their colleagues were on leave. Another area for growth we will discuss is the importance of providing paid leave to staff who experience pregnancy loss.