An Open Letter from LunaJoy: Our Response to the Roe v. Wade Decision

Jul 7

Women have never had the space they deserve in mental healthcare so when we founded LunaJoy, we set out to create that space for women. We began with a singular mission: to address gender disparities in mental health. Our passion remains increasing access to specialized health care for women through vulnerable transitions: puberty, pregnancy, postpartum, infertility, miscarriage, and perimenopause. We believe that women will thrive when given the support they need to feel safe through vulnerable transitions in life.

The recent repeal of Roe v Wade by the Supreme Court is devastating. For nearly half a decade, federal legislation protected every American’s right to abortion access. Until now. At LunaJoy, We stand strongly against the loss of autonomy of reproductive rights. Bodily agency is a human right as determined by the United Nations and should not be left to the imposition or whim of any government. We are now facing an unprecedented potential for crisis in reproductive, gynecological, sexual, and mental healthcare across the United States.

Maternal mortality is the highest in the United States of any developed nation. In just the past two years we’ve seen a 36.8% increase in maternal mortality. This risk of death for mothers is not equal across populations. Four times as many Black women as White women die during childbirth in the wealthiest nation, that now mandates forced birth. Criminalizing abortion will escalate racial and ethnic disparities already present in maternal healthcare at evey level. Following this historic backslide in agency for women, perinatal mental health will drastically worsen as undesired pregnancies and unwanted children increase and snap an overstretched mental health system.

Before you dive in, remember that our professionals are always here to help

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What happens now?

LunaJoy offers services in 17 states across the United States and staunchly believe in your right to access the care you need. Sadly, less than half of those states have protected abortion access without the federal legislation that guaranteed it to all Americans. So what does this mean for you, for LunaJoy, and for mental health services in general?

The truth is we’re not sure. Some of the difficult truths are outlined in the results of a decade-long study called The Turnaway Study. These findings include an increased risk of financial hardship for women who are denied an abortion, as well as poorer mental health outcomes, risks to children born into situations unsuitable for their safety, and risks to the physical health of the mother.

Restricting abortion access is dangerous

The court has gone against public opinion and all major medical societies have strongly condemned this decision. These bodies unanimously warn of grave medical consequences of forcing birth on children, teens and women in stripping the protection of abortion as healthcare. The World Health Organization has deemed abortion to be “a critical public health and human rights issue” and we at Luna Joy stand behind this position.

Nearly 25 million unsafe abortions take place every year, contributing directly to many avoidable deaths. Without access to abortion, Emergency Services anticipate increased strain on a system already at a crisis point. Mental health, obstetrics, and pediatric healthcare will also see an immediate and detrimental risk to the services they provide to their patients and clients. Among other things, restricting bodily agency for people who need an abortion for any reason will negatively impact mental health with a high likelihood for long-term mental health outcomes.

Our promise

While we are devastated, we are not at a loss for action. As a women’s health startup in the care delivery space we believe the solution begins right where we are: within us. In our daily lives, home, and communities, solutions can be sown. We will begin with trainings for birth control counseling and prescribing to increase access to options that help women feel empowered and in control of their body. These trainings will increase the number of prescribers for contraceptives, sexual health support tools, and the knowledge women need to make the most of them. Providers and clinicians who would like to take part in this training or facilitate training will be supported in furthering this access.

We believe firmly in health care models that pay for health equity and we continue to pursue value based bundles especially in the managed care population that will be most severely affected. Caring for mental health is not separate from bodily autonomy and we want our action to reflect that.

Now and always, we re-iterate our promise of support. We will continue to support women by listening and caring for them through some of the most vulnerable phases of life, now so more than ever. We stand by women and the choices they make for themselves, their life, and their family. We will be there every step of the journey as we all navigate an uncertain world with certain dangers in regard to our reproductive freedom.

Wherever you are and however you’re feeling, we will sit with you. As an advocate, a witness, and a supportive ear for the journey you’re traveling. We denounce this denial of rights and we are supported by the broader medical community in fighting for your access to the ability to make the decisions you need about your physical and mental healthcare.

We cannot rewrite the political landscape we are now confronted with but we can help you position yourself with power and knowledge. In the coming weeks, we will gather resources to support crisis intervention, medical support for reproductive rights, contraception access and consultation, and more information to support women in taking ownership of their reproductive health.

We can’t change the world alone, so let’s go it together. If you’d like to receive first access to the support documents we’re assembling, please subscribe to our newsletter today!

LunaJoy stands with you.