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Thursday, March 28
The Indiana Daily Student

opinion letters

LETTER: Gerrymandering hurts reproductive justice

Indiana is heavily gerrymandered. Legislative districts are drawn for political advantage. Politicians choose their voters.  

The number of uncontested races increases, and voter turnout decreases. In consequence, one party in Indiana holds a supermajority in both legislative houses, far above its share of voters.

In 2011, that legislature opened a campaign against reproductive justice. Five Planned Parenthood health centers, serving women in rural and under-resourced communities, have closed. The closure in Scott County, Indiana, was directly linked to a subsequent HIV outbreak that made national news. 

On Nov. 5, the Reproductive Task Force of the Unitarian Universalist Church of Bloomington and the Monroe County chapter of the National Organization of Women will screen the award-winning documentary "Jackson." 

"Jackson" is an intimate look at the lives of three women caught up in the complex issues surrounding reproductive rights. It captures the hard truth about those at the center of the debate.

But much more is at stake. Erosion of progressive policies, from reproductive health care to voter ID laws to public education, will continue until gerrymandering ends. 

Proceeds from the "Jackson" screening will support Common Cause Indiana’s fight to end gerrymandering and bring balance and fairness back to our Statehouse.

Ivy Tech Waldron Arts Center, 3 p.m. For information and tickets: reprojustice.mcnow@gmail.com

Deborah Meader

Co-Chair, Reproductive Justice Task Force, UU Church of Bloomington

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