Chelsea Xie

Panelist Rowena Tomaneng shares her unique perspective on reproductive rights in the context of higher education. She emphasized the importance of educating people about these rights in higher education institutions.

Assemblymember Evan Low hosted a panel on reproductive rights, inviting local residents and three experts to San Jose City College on Oct. 19.

The panel emphasized the need to protect and expand reproductive autonomy, especially in light of the Supreme Court’s 2022 decision to overturn Roe v Wade, which placed abortion rights at risk across the country. California’s Proposition 1, co-authored by Low, protected these rights, but despite this, more efforts are needed to ensure that reproductive services remain accessible and affordable. 

“Reproductive freedom is the foundation of gender equity and rights that should be afforded for everyone over multiple generations,” Low said at the end of the panel. “Unfortunately, we thought we already litigated this issue, but it comes back, and that’s why it’s important to have conversations about what we’re doing in this period of time.”

Director of Public Affairs for Planned Parenthood Mar Monte Dianna Zamora-Marroquin shared how reproductive rights extend to contraception, in vitro fertilization (IVF) and even family planning, describing how her clinic ensures access to a wide range of services.

“We provide services so you can come in with your family, from your little ones all the way to the oldest people,” Zamora-Marroquin said. “Reproductive health care is essential, and it’s often life saving. But health care is something that should not be for a few, for the privileged. It should not depend on your zip code. Sometimes that gets lost in the conversation.”

Manager of Santa Clara County’s Office of Gender-Based Violence Prevention Carla Collins discussed the overlap between a person’s reproductive choices with other forms of domestic and sexual abuse, making gender-based violence prevention essential to protecting reproductive freedom. 

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Lily Shi

An attendee thanks the panelists for teaching her about the details of Planned Parenthood. She wanted to learn more about how men can advocate for reproductive rights as well.

“This sort of violence in our community is tied to reproductive health because when we are controlling someone and they don’t truly have the right to say no, they don’t truly have the right to say yes either,” Collins said. “We want to create a community where people are safe at work, in the classroom, on the street and most especially in their own home.”

Deputy Chancellor of the California Community Colleges Rowena Tomaneng explained that education is essential for young people to have access to information about their reproductive rights. Tomaneng, who oversees 116 colleges with over 2.1 million students across California, highlighted the valuable role higher education institutions play in addressing these issues.

“We’ve been doing so much work across communities, prioritizing closing the equity gaps for African American, Black, low-income and AAPI communities,” Tomaneng said. “We are thinking about how many of our colleges have strong women’s studies and gender studies programs. We have a tremendous opportunity to continue the education work that we’ve been doing.”

Attendee Christine Shepard valued learning how citizens can protect reproductive rights, whether it be by donating to health centers, informing others about reproductive services or even just voicing personal stories.

“Today’s generation has a different challenge,” Shepard said. “Empowering them and all of us to have a voice and to know what rights are legal and what we can do if we want to amend them is extremely important. There are a lot of ways that we can go about making a difference for this next generation.”

Seconding Shepard’s notions, Sanketh Santhosh, a former intern for Evan Low,  emphasized that the best way to enact social change is to bridge people through thoughtful discussion.

“We’ve had a lot of tough conversations, we’ve heard a lot of tough stories,” Santhosh said. “But at the same time, we’ve found that there are a lot of opportunities for growth by finding that compromise and finding those connections with other people. That’s how we’ll continue to push that needle forward.”