It’s been well documented that black women face a higher risk of pregnancy complications than other races. This has always been taken in stride, like something that just happens and can’t be prevented. The truth, however, is that these complications are a result of black women being underserved by health institutions. A birth story taught me what obstetric racism is and how common it is for black women to be neglected and dismissed by health professionals. The fact that someone as affluent and influential as Serena Williams had to go through such mistreatment is a testament to the institutionalized racism in healthcare. While these are not sanctioned by the law per se, such discrimination are common and widespread, making it a de facto practice. These kind of discriminations can also be seen in the case of transgender people. They have been mistreated by healthcare workers and institutions. While most may not deny services outright, their hostility hinders transgender people from accessing the healthcare they need and deserve. I was surprised by how there are little to no repercussions for such discriminatory practices. I had assumed there would be some kind of protection against it but listening to so many similar stories in 12 Reason It should be Illegal for Doctors Not to Treat Trans People, it’s clear that it remains mostly unchecked.

This week’s readings and the film Period show how oppression manifests itself on a medical aspect. They showed us how black women are forced to endure medical practices embedded with racism that dismiss their health concerns, undermine their bodily autonomy and even cause them physical harm. The stories from transgender people shine light on the mistreatment they face from a heteronormative institution that abuses, harasses, misgenders and misdiagnoses, discouraging them from seeking out the medical care they require. Similarly, the suffering of women in rural India highlights how archaic notions of a patriarchal society that remains willfully ignorant and stigmatizes women’s reproductive health, causes women unnecessary harms that could’ve been easily avoided. These are all examples of how certain groups of people are barred from getting the because of systemic oppression.

The format in which these stories were shared helped emphasize that these are real lives and lived experiences. These are not just statistics or discourse topics, these are real people who have been treated unjustly by an oppressive system that mistreats them in every aspect of their lives. The illustrations and the poem were a visual and emotional portrayal of a traumatic experience LeConte went during childbirth. Similarly, the stories from transgender people puts a name on the voices that would otherwise get lost in the background. The film walks us through the real lives of rural women in India , how they live, their hopes and dreams, and their struggles. These formats definitely help set an intimate perspective where one could really empathize and understand the injustice they face. It may not have created a same reaction if we only focused on the academic side.