Nearing the end of a company wide meeting, a VP read aloud an employee question regarding the company’s stance on recent reproductive rulings and whether or not the company will weigh in. They shared empathy for employees grappling with newfound loss of personal rights, and emphasized the company’s commitment to its employees’ health and well-being, calling out policies to assist employees and additionally directing them mental health resources.
The answer was thorough, thoughtful and actionable. The chat, open to the entire company for unvetted contributions, was not.
“Can’t we keep politics out of this?”
“What does this have to do with work?”
“Please stay out of this topic.”
Along with a personal favorite, stating that women should have no choice in reproduction because it is a gift from God.
I knew this was coming. Our executive team has never been shy about addressing tough topics head on. It’s one of the things I have appreciated most about our leadership. Alongside these conversations, however, is the notorious employee chat. It has been the source of public controversy in the past, as the reason multiple employees were fired following a meeting regarding systemic racism and police brutality in 2020. As soon as the question began and the word “abortion” was said out loud in the meeting, I weighed whether to close the chat entirely, or decide to watch as it imploded.
I’ve decided that a more productive route might be to answer some of these questions.
“Can’t we keep politics out of this?”
It’s a reasonable question. I would also enjoy not needing to think about politics while I do my job. I would also enjoy a world in which I could neatly compartmentalize my life as I walked in the door.
My pain point with this question is that it is typically being asked by people for whom daily life is not inherently political. People for whom elections, policies, and rulings matter very little because they do not need to fear that they might be stripped of their own rights. People that typically mirror the demographics of those making the political decisions.
The truth is that for all except cis-gender, straight, white men, simply showing up to work is a political statement. The neighborhoods we can live in are political. Who we love is political. Having and not having children is political. Walking down the street without fear is political.
“What does this have to do with work?”
Everything.
In fact it was necessary to bring this up in this very work meeting so that employees could be informed of the relevant health insurance policies they may need to use to access healthcare in another state. Staying alive is political.
Just today, almost 200 members of the US House of Representatives voted against ensuring access to contraceptives for all Americans. It’s no longer about whether or not you must keep a viable pregnancy, but whether or not you have the right to not get pregnant in the first place.
Without access to contraceptives, my life very likely would have proceeded incredibly differently. It is very likely I would not have been able to pursue the education that granted me the skills I needed to have this job, where I could freely watch my colleagues question my right to exist as a childless person. Were I to have gotten pregnant in college, I wouldn’t be here at work.
Currently, the legality of copper IUDs is being debated, as they can be used as an emergency contraceptive if implanted shortly after unprotected sex. Note that this is not actually an “abortion”, but those making the laws have decided that the order of events is irrelevant. The fact of the matter is that the copper IUD remains one of the most effective and reliable forms of contraceptive, good for up to 12 years. It’s the reason why I personally opted for one. In a post-Roe world, whether I have a right to keep something that is already inside my body is being publicly debated. My ability to not get pregnant impacts my ability to work.
Women with IUDs (who are actively doing everything in their power to not get pregnant and require an abortion) face a high risk of ectopic pregnancies. While states with trigger laws all have some language regarding medical exemptions, the murkiness of who deems the abortion “medically necessary” is already having deadly consequences. Staying alive impacts my ability to work.
This is all without even broaching the topic of extremely high maternal mortality rates in the US, particularly for black women. A person giving birth in the US is more likely to die during childbirth than in any other wealthy country. Every single pregnancy is a health risk. Staying healthy and alive impacts my ability to work.
“Please stay out of this topic.”
No.
I’m incredibly grateful to work for a company that refuses to roll over and stay quiet in the name of blanket tolerance. Companies that encourage political pacifism rather than seeking opportunities to educate employees and foster safe communication are not looking out for the well being of their people. They are perpetuating the false notion that life is simple, that work is just work, politics are just politics.
Health is not political - it is life or death.