7 Questions with NWLC's Julia Kaye

by Jessica Lauredan, Outreach Intern
National Women’s Law Center

This post is part of a weekly series profiling our blog authors.

Julia Kaye is a Policy Associate for the Health and Reproductive Rights team at NWLC.

Q: Twenty million unmarried women did not vote in the 2004 election. As a young woman, what do you think caused this lack of participation?
Julia: Whatever the reasons were then, unmarried women have been voting en masse during this primary season — I’ve actually read several articles on the pivotal role that experts believe unmarried women will play in determining the results of the November elections — and I think it’s a trend that’s not going away. The stakes are high right now.  The results of this election will largely determine the role that America will play in fighting global warming, the future of the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, possibly two new Supreme Court Justices (and the security of Roe v. Wade) … the list goes on. I think that women both understand the gravity of these issues and have come to recognize that they are a significant demographic with a lot of electoral power, and that they have the power to influence policy on these crucial issues — if they get out and vote.

Q: Could pro-choicers and anti-choicers ever agree that it’s important to work toward preventing unintended pregnancies by increasing access to contraceptives and emergency contraception, thus reducing the need for abortions?
Julia: I sincerely hope so!

Q: What do you say to people who claim that giving women over-the-counter access to emergency contraception increases the rates of STI’s?
Julia: I’d say that the people making those claims are trying to imply that emergency contraception/Plan B is significantly different from “regular” birth control pills, and needs to be judged and critiqued using a significantly different set of criteria. In fact, both are advertised and endorsed as products that help prevent against unintended pregnancy, and both packages inform users that the product does not protect against sexually transmitted infections. Debating EC’s potential to increase STI rates distracts from its proven efficacy in preventing unintended pregnancy. I would also say that women who are informed enough about their sexual health to seek out EC after experiencing a contraceptive failure or having unprotected sex are probably informed enough to recognize that unintended pregnancy is not the only potential consequence of unprotected sex.

Q: What do you think of the rumors that a male birth control pill could be introduced to the public in the next five years?
Julia: If a male birth control pill were introduced, I’d be thrilled! The more safe, effective, and diverse forms of contraception on the market, the more options people have for protecting themselves from unintended pregnancy, and the easier it will be for people to find a method that works for them. I also think we’re well past overdue for a male birth control pill. The fact that such a product has not yet been developed is a great example of how even “impartial” science is still influenced by gender. What assumptions about male and female bodies — and social and sexual responsibilities — underlie the decisions made by institutions, funders, and scientists to not prioritize research in this area? The recent CDC study on STIs among adolescent females is another example: I trust their methodology. I think the information is hugely useful. But what kind of (gendered) assumptions contributed to CDC’s decision to limit the study to young women, to decide that knowing about STI rates among girls was more important, more easily accomplished, or more pressing?

I think that contraception — and reproductive health, generally — is largely considered to be a “women’s issue.” Even just having a male birth control pill on the market could go a long way in holding men more responsible for their own sexual health and the health of their partners. It would also be interesting to see if men face the same obstacles to accessing birth control as women currently do (such as pharmacy refusals) and if the country suddenly starts caring more about that issue as a result...

Q: It’s been said that many women feel guilty after having abortions because of their increased access to reproductive rights — that these women believe that their knowledge about and access to contraception makes an unplanned pregnancy unjustifiable. How do you respond to this?
Julia: I think the notion that “many women” experience post-abortion guilt, and that access to abortion should be restricted as a result, is a construction of the anti-choice movement that has received far too much media attention. The argument of the pro-choice movement has traditionally centered on the importance of abortion for women — for our health, economics, and independence. It seems the anti-choice movement has noticed that the American people support abortion rights largely because we understand that access to abortion is crucial for women, and decided that it would be an effective strategy to exploit women’s complex needs and emotions by arguing that abortions should actually be banned in order to protect women ... from themselves, presumably. Let’s not do what Justice Kennedy did in the Gonzalez v. Carhart decision and start making rules “for women’s own good” based on an anti-choice PR strategy.

Q: Aside from your work, what are you most passionate about?
Julia: Hmm ... I don’t have an easy answer. I love to read; I draw and paint; I fancy myself a pretty decent cook. I played water polo throughout college and was quite passionate about it then, though I have yet to join a team in D.C. I’ve actually taken up two new sports in the past few months, though — rock-climbing and capoeira (a Brazilian martial art) — which I’m feeling very excited about!

Q: What’s one thing you miss about being a kid?
Julia: Jumping out of the pool, scurrying over to the ice cream truck and joyfully eating a “fire-cracker” ice pop without even noticing or caring that it left red and blue sticky streaks on my face and hands.