A Call to the Muslim Community: Fighting for Reproductive Justice Is in Line With Our Faith – Ms. Magazine

Report on Reproductive Healthcare Access and Sustainable Development Goals within US Muslim Communities

Introduction

This report examines the significant barriers to reproductive healthcare faced by Muslim communities in the United States, analyzing these challenges through the framework of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The intersection of political policy, systemic discrimination, and internal community dynamics creates a complex environment that directly impacts the achievement of several key SDGs. This analysis focuses on the following goals:

• SDG 3: Good Health and Well-being
• SDG 5: Gender Equality
• SDG 10: Reduced Inequalities
• SDG 16: Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions

Systemic Barriers and their Impact on Sustainable Development Goals

Challenges to SDG 3 (Good Health and Well-being) and SDG 5 (Gender Equality)

Administrative and political actions that restrict access to reproductive healthcare present a direct challenge to global health and gender equality targets. Policies classifying common contraceptives as abortifacients undermine progress toward specific SDG targets.

• Target 3.7: This target aims to ensure universal access to sexual and reproductive health-care services, including for family planning, information, and education. Barriers created by misinformation and restrictive policies push individuals away from essential healthcare, directly contravening this goal.
• Target 5.6: This target calls for universal access to sexual and reproductive health and reproductive rights. The denial of access to care and the imposition of barriers on bodily autonomy represent a significant setback for gender equality.

Intersectionality and SDG 10 (Reduced Inequalities)

Muslim communities, particularly Black and brown Muslims, face compounded discrimination based on gender, race, and religion. This intersectionality exacerbates inequalities in healthcare access and outcomes, undermining the core principle of SDG 10.

• Target 10.2: This target aims to empower and promote the social, economic, and political inclusion of all, irrespective of religion, race, or gender. The consistent decentering of the most impacted individuals from discussions and solutions regarding reproductive health is a failure to meet this objective.
• Systemic violence and institutional barriers disproportionately affect marginalized groups, widening the inequality gap and preventing equitable access to essential services.

Internal Community Challenges and Information Gaps

In addition to external pressures, internal community dynamics also create obstacles to achieving health and gender equality goals. These challenges include:

1. The proliferation of medically inaccurate information and religious dogma.
2. A lack of nonjudgmental, accessible support and information within community spaces.
3. Dismissive attitudes from healthcare providers who are misinformed about the intersection of faith and reproductive health decisions.

These factors inhibit informed decision-making, which is critical for personal well-being (SDG 3) and exercising bodily autonomy (SDG 5).

Strategic Interventions for Advancing SDGs

The Role of Community-Based Organizations

Organizations such as HEART are implementing strategic interventions to address these multifaceted challenges. The organization’s work focuses on developing a comprehensive framework that integrates personal agency with spiritual values, thereby creating a more inclusive and effective approach to reproductive health that supports the SDGs.

Developing a Faith-Aligned Framework for Reproductive Justice

HEART has developed a model rooted in Islamic principles to empower individuals and advance reproductive justice. This approach contributes to the SDGs by:

1. Fostering Holistic Well-being (SDG 3): By framing bodily care as a spiritual trust (amanah), the model encourages individuals to make health decisions that align with both medical facts and personal values, promoting a holistic sense of well-being.
2. Promoting Informed Choice (SDG 5): Through extensive research with diverse Islamic scholars, the organization highlights the wide range of rulings on reproductive decision-making. This counters monolithic dogma and empowers individuals with the agency to make informed choices, a cornerstone of gender equality.
3. Building Inclusive Systems (SDG 10): The RAHIM initiative was launched to provide a vision of reproductive justice rooted in Islamic teachings, ensuring that faith-based perspectives are included in the broader discourse on health and rights.

Conclusion and Recommendations

Upholding Communal Obligations for SDG Attainment

Islamic ethical concepts such as communal obligation (fard kifayah) and compassion (rahma) provide a powerful mandate for community action. These principles call for a collective effort to dismantle injustice and ensure access to care, aligning directly with the ambitions of SDG 10 (Reduced Inequalities) and SDG 16 (Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions). Fighting against systemic attacks on bodily autonomy and ensuring access to safe, affordable reproductive care is a communal responsibility.

Forward Path

To advance the Sustainable Development Goals within this context, it is imperative to trust and equip Muslim individuals to make their own reproductive decisions. Recommended actions include:

• Providing nonjudgmental support grounded in compassion (rahma) and medically accurate information.
• Facilitating consultation (shura) with experts to ensure decisions are fully informed.
• Advocating against systemic injustices that create barriers to care.
• Fostering community environments that honor sacred bodies and support individual life journeys.

By implementing these strategies, communities can effectively contribute to the achievement of good health, gender equality, and reduced inequalities for all.

Analysis of SDGs in the Article

1. Which SDGs are addressed or connected to the issues highlighted in the article?

• SDG 3: Good Health and Well-being: The article’s central theme is reproductive healthcare, including access to contraception (IUDs, hormonal implants, birth control pills) and abortion care. It discusses how political actions and misinformation create barriers for people seeking “life-saving reproductive healthcare,” which directly relates to ensuring healthy lives and promoting well-being.
• SDG 5: Gender Equality: The article frames the issue as an “attack on bodily autonomy” and a matter of “reproductive agency” and “reproductive justice.” These concepts are fundamental to gender equality, as they concern the rights of individuals, particularly women, to make their own decisions about their bodies and health. The text also explicitly mentions “gender-based… discrimination.”
• SDG 10: Reduced Inequalities: The article highlights the disproportionate impact on specific groups, stating that “Muslim communities” face “compounding impacts of gender-based, racial and religious discrimination.” It further specifies that “Black and brown Muslims—are consistently decentered from the discussion and solutions,” pointing directly to the need to reduce inequalities within and among different groups.
• SDG 16: Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions: The article criticizes actions by the “Trump administration,” such as the classification of contraceptives as abortifacients, as “cruel attacks on our bodily autonomy.” This points to a failure of institutions to create and uphold just, non-discriminatory laws and policies, and highlights the “systemic violence and barriers” people face, which is a concern of SDG 16.

2. What specific targets under those SDGs can be identified based on the article’s content?

• Target 3.7 (under SDG 3): “By 2030, ensure universal access to sexual and reproductive health-care services, including for family planning, information and education…” The article directly addresses this target by discussing the barriers to accessing “IUDs, hormonal implants and the birth control pill,” as well as “safe and affordable reproductive care, including abortion care.” It also highlights the “lack of accurate and accessible information” within Muslim communities.
• Target 5.6 (under SDG 5): “Ensure universal access to sexual and reproductive health and reproductive rights…” The article’s focus on “bodily autonomy,” “reproductive agency,” and the right to “make our own reproductive decisions” aligns perfectly with this target. The work of the organization HEART to help Muslims make “medically and faith-informed decisions about their bodies” is a direct effort to realize these rights.
• Target 10.3 (under SDG 10): “Ensure equal opportunity and reduce inequalities of outcome, including by eliminating discriminatory laws, policies and practices…” The article’s mention of “gender-based, racial and religious discrimination” faced by Muslim communities, particularly Black and brown Muslims, in accessing healthcare and participating in solutions directly relates to this target. The administrative policies described are examples of practices that create unequal outcomes.
• Target 16.b (under SDG 16): “Promote and enforce non-discriminatory laws and policies for sustainable development.” The article critiques the Trump administration’s policy classifying certain contraceptives as abortifacients as a “cruel attack.” This policy is presented as discriminatory in its effect on people needing reproductive healthcare. The call to “fight back against injustice wherever it arises” supports the promotion of non-discriminatory policies.

3. Are there any indicators mentioned or implied in the article that can be used to measure progress towards the identified targets?

• Indicator for Target 3.7: The article implies the need to measure the accessibility and affordability of reproductive healthcare services. It states that people are “unable to access it due to barriers.” An indicator of progress would be a reduction in these barriers and an increase in the number of individuals, especially in marginalized communities, who can access services like contraception and safe abortion care.
• Indicator for Target 5.6: The article implies an indicator related to the ability of individuals to make informed decisions about their reproductive health. It mentions the need for “nonjudgmental support,” “medically accurate information,” and “agency to make decisions.” Progress could be measured by the proportion of Muslim women who report feeling empowered and equipped to make their own reproductive choices, as the article notes that when they can, “they report their faith growing stronger.”
• Indicator for Target 10.3: An implied indicator is the prevalence of reported discrimination in healthcare settings. The article notes that in clinical settings, “healthcare providers are often dismissive or misinformed” about Muslim patients. Tracking the frequency of such experiences among Muslim communities, particularly for “Black and brown Muslims,” would serve as a measure of inequality.
• Indicator for Target 16.b: The article points to the existence of discriminatory laws and policies as a key issue. An indicator would be the number and nature of laws, regulations, and administrative policies that restrict access to reproductive healthcare. The “classification of IUDs, hormonal implants and the birth control pill as abortifacients” is a specific example of such a policy. Repealing these policies would be a measure of progress.

4. SDGs, Targets and Indicators Table

Source: msmagazine.com