Reproductive Health Options Are Nonexistent For Homeless Women

The study looked at women experiencing homelessness during June 2014 and July 2015. The 25-61 year olds in north central Texas served as a concentrated focus group for the plights that exist for women who are homeless.

“Women experiencing homelessness report higher rates of reproductive health-related traumas, including unplanned pregnancy, miscarriage, and abortion than their non-homeless peers,” explains the study.

In addition to lack of preventative reproductive health options, like birth control options, homeless women are also more susceptible to be forgotten in the fight for reproductive health rights.

According to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, over 50,000 women are homeless nationwide. A Bustle special project found that in many cases these women, and the shelters they seek asylum in, are ill-equipped with sanitary options for menstrual cycles or other woman-specific reproductive needs.

The study emphasizes not only the need to implement systems that would assist those who are homeless, but to also partner those same systems with education and empowerment programs. Breaking the cycle of homelessness is oftentimes not achieved alone, instead it’s a community effort led through education and empathy.

Cover image courtesy of Getty Images.

By Sanah Jivani on March 30, 2017
Sanah is a honors college student at the University of Texas at San Antonio who is double majoring in Sociology and Communications. She is the founder of a non-profit organization called The Love Your Natural Self Foundation, which works to help individuals build confidence. Her biggest dream is to make a difference in the world through her organization and her writing.