The report examines healthcare needs of understudied AANHPIs amidst mounting threats to reproductive rights throughout the southeastern U.S.

For Immediate Release: January 13, 2024
Contact: Virginia Lucy, media@napawf.org

WASHINGTON D.C. – Today, the National Asian Pacific American Women’s Forum (NAPAWF), in partnership with the Emory University Center for Reproductive Health Research in the Southeast (RISE), released a report uncovering the systemic barriers Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander (AANHPI) women and gender-expansive individuals face in accessing sexual and reproductive healthcare (SRH). The report focuses on the Atlanta metro region in Georgia, a state currently enforcing a six-week abortion ban, and reveals alarming disparities rooted in a lack of culturally-competent care and critical knowledge gaps.

The report – “Sexual and Reproductive Healthcare in the Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander Community: Understanding Barriers to Access in Georgia” details how AANHPI communities face unique obstacles in accessing SRH care.  A key finding is the deficit of healthcare providers equipped to understand and respect the diverse cultural and religious backgrounds of AANHPI individuals.  Additionally, the report identifies critical knowledge gaps in topics like abortion, with 67% of Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander respondents and over two in five Asian respondents reporting that they rarely or never discussed abortion with family or peers. These findings underscore the urgent need for culturally-responsive, language-accessible resources to bridge these gaps and connect AANHPIs to essential healthcare services.

“Our communities are growing rapidly in Georgia and across the U.S., yet we continue to be overlooked in critical conversations about sexual and reproductive health,” said Sung Yeon Choimorrow, NAPAWF’s Executive Director. “This report shines a light on the urgent need for culturally-responsive providers and accessible resources to ensure AANHPIs receive the care they deserve. In a post-Roe landscape, as reproductive rights continue to come under attack, culturally-competent care is not just important—it’s a lifeline.”

The report also provides actionable recommendations for addressing these barriers, including:

  • Training healthcare providers to deliver culturally-responsive care and combat discrimination that hinders AANHPI access to proper care.
  • Removing the five-year waiting period and extending Medicaid coverage to all immigrants, regardless of immigration status. 
  • Creating and distributing culturally tailored SRH materials in multiple languages and formats.
  • Increasing funding for community health centers to provide culturally relevant education and outreach to underserved AANHPI communities.
  • Funding efforts to collect and analyze health data specific to AANHPI subgroups to better inform public health strategies and SRH services.

The full report, including key findings and full policy recommendations, is available at: napawf.org/resources/ga-rise-srh/.

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About NAPAWF

The National Asian Pacific American Women’s Forum (NAPAWF) is the only organization dedicated to uplifting and building power with AAPI women and girls in the US. Employing a reproductive justice framework to guide our work, we use organizing, advocacy, and communications strategies to assert full agency over our lives, our families, and our communities.

About RISE

The Center for Reproductive Health Research in the Southeast (RISE) is a research center housed at Emory University Rollins School of Public Health. Our mission is to improve reproductive health and equity of people in the U.S. Southeast through transdisciplinary research that informs social, systems, and policy change.