Invisible Immigrants Essay

Woman who are targeted because of their skin color or because they are immigrants coming into a country like America, in hopes of finding better, attempt to prosper in a cold world that values dirt more than they value them. Excluding women from certain health care facilities because they hold a green card, neglects them from being allowed the same equal rights as any citizen in the United States would have, is what especially hits hard for me. While reading “Invisible Immigrants” by Michelle Chen in the Reproduction and Society book, I was made aware of the drastic measures some women are forced to take in order to accommodate their health but I was also able to open my eyes and see what my reality could have been like had I not become a United

Labeled as an Immigrant with a green card in hand, is not easy for any person. Immediately being judged for not having been born in America or for not being a citizen, any Immigrant has it hard, especially women. I was very aware before reading Chapter twenty two in the book (Chen 206,) that woman who had come from other countries in the United States struggled more than anyone else to find jobs and make a living for themselves, but I was ultimately surprised at the fact that women in need, were also having a hard time getting medical treatment and healthcare. The major eye opener came when I encountered this,“Under federal law, immigrants, including many green- card holders, face various bans and exclusions from federal health programs. For issues of sexual and reproductive health, immigrant women often find themselves doubly excluded from a health care infrastructure that degrades all poor women, unable to access or afford contraceptive and abortion services, prenatal care, or treatment for sexually transmitted diseases” (Chen 206.) Depriving any women of getting care is in no way correct especially when she first enters the country. Whether it be life threatening or a need for birth control, woman should not have to cross borders in order to receive the care that they need. While attempting to get medical care, many risk