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Episcopal Church and the United Nations

Binding Our Neighbors’ Wounds

July 30, 2020
Episcopal UN

Women & Health

By: Erin Morey, Diocese of Pittsburgh (Province III) / Erin Morey, Diócesis de Pittsburgh (Provincia III)

It is strange to be writing about women’s health and the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action in the middle of a global health crisis. By the time you read this post, the number of infections and deaths caused by COVID-19, as well as the geography of where they are clustered, will have changed. It is at once troubling and reassuring to read the words of the Beijing Platform: “Women have the right to the enjoyment of the highest attainable standard of physical and mental health. The enjoyment of this right is vital to their life and well-being and their ability to participate in all areas of public and private life.”

Mounting evidence shows that it is probably more accurate to consider this cataclysm as several global health crises. You will notice this strand connecting through our other blog posts, as they are connected to every aspect of this world we share.

Vaccination rates for routine childhood illnesses have fallen during the pandemic, leaving populations vulnerable to other kinds of infectious disease. Lack of access to nutrition programs and aid will likely lead to the starvation of 12,000 every day, the brunt of that suffering falling on women and girls. Statistics suggest that people have been avoiding medical care for non-COVID-19 conditions, even for life-threatening conditions such as heart attacks and cancer. Experts project a global rise in domestic violence and intimate partner violence.

The economic and educational gains made by women and girls are in grave danger of being wiped out, leaving them at risk for under- and unemployment, poverty, hunger, homelessness, lack of health care, trafficking, child marriage, even lack of toilets and running water. On top of normally grim maternal and infant mortality statistics, tens of thousands more mothers, and hundreds of thousands more babies, will likely die in 2020.  Meanwhile, pollution and deforestation have continued (and may be increasing). Global temperatures continue their record-breaking rise, with ocean temperatures rising, and Arctic ice melting, faster than scientists initially projected.

As I write this, 12.3 million cases of COVID-19, resulting in 556,000 deaths, have been documented worldwide. As I already noted, this number will be out-of-date by the time you are reading this. Perhaps the only matrix on which women are not suffering disproportionately is that they are less likely to die of COVID-19 once infected – a fact likely attributable to social causes, and a chilling reminder that gender bias is deadly for men, too.

Even before the pandemic, violence against women and girls was widespread. Moreover, women had unequal access to income and assets, spent three times as much time doing unpaid care and domestic work as men do, limiting their opportunities for paid work, education and leisure time, and comprised the majority of international migrants. A 2019 report in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, where I live, illustrated the intersection of race and gender inequity in many areas, including pregnancy and childbirth. Here, 18 out of every 1,000 pregnancies for Black women end in fetal death. This gruesome statistic is especially troubling given that Pittsburgh’s white fetal mortality rate is already horrible, falling in the bottom 7 percent of similar cities. Moreover, Black women’s maternal mortality is higher in Pittsburgh than 97 percent of similar cities.

Reading all of this, we might be tempted by despair. I specifically name this as temptation, because it is sin. We (especially women) have been conditioned by powers of worldly empire to believe we are helpless. Moreover, inaction is easy, and action is uncomfortable.

I have heard many people say that the parable of the Good Samaritan in the Gospel of Luke is their favorite illustration of Christ’s message of love for the world. I always found this peculiar, because there was no “Good Samaritan.” He is a character in a story Jesus created. On the other hand, Jesus existed in the real world, where he healed the sick, fed the hungry, and even gave his life for others. Why would the fictional Good Samaritan (who cares for the physical needs of an equally fictional stranger) resonate more profoundly than the real-life actions of Jesus?

In thinking about the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action, however, I am humbled to realize my error. There is a Good Samaritan, and each of us is called to be them. We are called to courageously place the safety and well-being of people we may never meet on par with our own. We are called to, without question or hesitation, devote our resources for the good of others. Whether we recognize it or not, we are moved by the story of the Good Samaritan because its radical message of love is God’s plan for our most authentic being, stamped into our souls, and refreshed into new life by the waters and promises of our baptism. We are called as a Church, and as individuals, to care for the health of all of our neighbors.

Jesus does not give this Samaritan a name, or a job, or even suggest what he might have been doing on the Jericho road. His immediate situation is all that matters. We, likewise, are called to respond in our immediate situations. In fact, the Beijing Platform outlines roles for all sectors of society in the work of gender justice.

The Beijing Platform noted that women have unequal healthcare access because of gender stereotypes, overt discrimination, and socio-economic disparities, noting this was particularly true with regard to reproductive health, sexual and gender-based violence, and aging. It recommended that specific steps be taken by (among others) governments, non-governmental organizations, the media, the private sector, health professionals, and researchers. We are not absolved of the responsibility to work toward the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals because of our current crisis; instead, we must work harder to ensure that, for the good of all our society, no one is left behind.

The Episcopal Church has repeatedly acknowledged that “that equitable access to women’s health care, including women’s reproductive health care, is an integral part of a woman’s struggle to assert her dignity and worth as a human being.” As Episcopalians, we are encouraged to “advocate for government to address the specific needs of health care for everyone, especially women’s and girls’ health care,” including “supporting legislation that creates equal utilization of health care for those in equal need, regardless of ability to pay,” and urging “adequate government funding…for…matters affecting the health and quality of life of women, including domestic violence, AIDS, heart disease, breast, ovarian and endometrial cancer, safe and effective contraceptives, and other methods of pregnancy prevention, maternity care, menopause and chronic illnesses unique to or prevalent among women.”

I am proud of the work being done by the Episcopal Public Policy Network and the Office of Government Relations. I encourage you to follow the work that they do and help engage in their advocacy work. It only takes a few moments to sign up for their emails, which provide updates about urgent issues, and help you to share your concerns about the health of women and girls with your elected officials. I also encourage you to learn more about the work of Episcopal Relief & Development, which centers the well-being of women in promoting community resilience.

There are many ways to support the health of women and girls beyond these broad efforts, and I hope that you will explore creative ways to meet the immediate needs of your context. You may feel called to look at how policies at your state and local level affect women’s health, or explore ecumenical advocacy opportunities with groups that focus on eliminating poverty through a lens of women’s health such as Bread for the World, or the Poor People’s Campaign. You can explore the policies around medical and parental leave, and healthcare benefits, in the institutions you participate in. If you find they are inadequate to meet the needs of those they serve, how can you advocate for their improvement?

You, and your church, can find ways to support your local domestic violence shelter and sexual assault service provider. You could organize your church to participate in a campaign to help forgive medical debt. Perhaps you could explore ways to create a culture that is supportive of breastfeeding parents in your church home or help parishioners access healthcare services. (My own church, for example, offers parishioners the opportunity to have their blood pressure checked by a nurse volunteer once a month during coffee hour.)

Most of all, I encourage you to pray for the well-being of all people, and the healing of our own hearts. Do not lose hope. Never forget that we worship the One who healed a woman, cast aside by her society, when she boldly proclaimed: “If I but touch his clothes, I will be made well.” (Mark 5:28.)

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About the author: Erin Morey is currently an M.Div. student at Pittsburgh Theological Seminary. Previously, she served as the Director of Community Engagement and Communications for St. Paul’s Episcopal Church, Mt. Lebanon, Pennsylvania (where she worships). She has worked for Women’s Center and Shelter of Greater Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh Action Against Rape, and the Rape, Abuse, and Incest National Network as a domestic violence and rape crisis advocate. She began her career as an attorney, serving as an Assistant Public Defender in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania. Erin was a member of the Presiding Bishop’s delegation to UNCSW in 2015 and 2016.

Contact:
Ms. Lynnaia Main

Episcopal Church Representative to the United Nations

EpiscopalUN@episcopalchurch.org