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Bill Expands Options for Infertility Treatment in D.C.

The violent and racist killing of George Floyd by the hands, or rather the knee, of a Minneapolis police officer while his colleagues looked on exposed the distrust Black Americans have long held with so-called trusted institutions across many sectors. Law enforcement is one of many institutions in which Black people have lost faith, and as a result, they suffer in silence while depriving themselves of the aid and support others receive for solvable problems that disproportionately impact their lives.

Stereotypes and stigma play a vital role, as well, particularly when it comes to accessing health care. And when it comes to reproductive health, Black women and men more often hide their problems, delay seeking help or abandon accessing healthcare options altogether because they can’t afford them. It’s an issue that AtLarge Councilmember Christina Henderson, chair of the DC Council’s Committee on Health, is seeking to address through legislation that will make access to diagnoses and treatment for the disproportionate number of District residents experiencing infertility.

Infertility impacts men and women. According to the National Institutes of Health, infertility impacts around 12% of women, but Black women may be twice as likely to experience infertility compared with white women; and they are 50% less likely to seek out care. On the other hand, Black men reportedly are less likely to donate sperm leading to a significant sperm shortage and a lack of choices for Black women seeking to have a child that looks Black like them.

The Expanding Access to Fertility Treatment Amendment Act of 2022 would require an individual health plan, group plan, or health insurer offering health insurance coverage through Medicaid and the D.C. Healthcare Alliance program to provide coverage for the diagnosis and treatment of infertility.

For D.C.’s Black community, this bill is a ray of hope for those who want and plan to grow their families but have been unable to do so for medical and financial reasons. While there will be some coverage limitations, the bill is scheduled to go into effect for Medicaid and the D.C. Health Alliance recipients in January 2024. It allows D.C. to join 19 states, including Maryland, to provide fertility insurance coverage for women who need it. WI

Juneteenth In Danger of Becoming Irrelevant

On June 19 of each year, millions of Americans, primarily Blacks, celebrate Juneteenth in remembrance of Union General Gordon Granger arriving on the shores of Galveston, Texas and declaring slavery illegal in the United States in 1865. For many years after, people celebrated the unofficial holiday by taking off work, hosting cookouts, attending services in churches and entertaining themselves at parties not only in Texas but other states as well. Texas became the first state to declare Juneteenth an official holiday and others followed. The movement to make Juneteenth a national holiday succeeded in 2021 when President Biden signed legislation to that effect.

Many organizations are using the holiday to perform community service. That is an admirable pursuit, but in these times of political extremism, primarily on the right, more needs to be done to recognize the true spirit of what Juneteenth means other than well-meaning, yet rote community work. As Juneteenth becomes more a part of the country’s yearly traditions, there is a danger that it will become irrelevant if people of goodwill don’t get involved in changing its course.

People should focus on what Juneteenth really means: freedom. The freedom not to be in bondage to another human being. The freedom of people to determine their own destiny. The freedom to vote for whomever or whatever one wants.

Juneteenth, in a broader sense, advocates for women to have the right to govern their own bodies, supports people of colors’ aspirations for first class American citizenship and the right for young people to have a voice in the governance of this country and the elderly to be respected for their wisdom and experience.

However, freedom is in danger presently. State legislatures, whether in the North or South, have passed laws making it more difficult to vote but easier to buy a gun. That isn’t right. Juneteenth should be a time for people to organize to confront government at every level to help those who are hurting and to ensure equity among all people and not just the chance to stuff their faces with barbecue. WI

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