Reflections from SPSSI Intern, Abby Korb

Healthcare has always been something that I have been passionate about, and with reproductive rights on the line, I decided I wanted to get as involved in reproductive healthcare and justice as I could while in D.C. interning for SPSSI. I was fortunate enough to get to attend the Congressional Hearing on threats to reproductive rights, where actress Busy Philipps gave her now famous testimony. Being in that room and hearing the divisiveness between sides was hard but hearing all the powerful testimonies was worth it.  I left that event feeling empowered, especially because so many pro-choice activists had shown up to support the five individuals that were speaking on behalf of protecting rights.  

Shortly after that, outside of my SPSSI internship, I was able to attend an advocacy day on The Hill, where we advocated for the Women’s Health Protection Act (WHPA). WHPA is a federal bill that, if passed, would protect abortion access despite all the current attempts to ban it, because it is a form of healthcare. WHPA was introduced in the Senate by my own Senator, Tammy Baldwin, which was an exciting aspect of the day overall! This event gave me hope that Roe vs. Wade can be upheld and that rights will be protected. We spoke to some Congresspeople who had already supported the bill and encouraged them to get their colleagues to do the same, and we also spoke to some who had not supported but had a strong pro-choice track record.  

Later in the summer, I attended a briefing by Feminists for Life, a pro-woman/pro-life organization. Going into the briefing, I was nervous, as I have always been very pro-choice, but I wanted to hear them out and see what they had to say. They focused on what college campuses could do for women who had children or were pregnant and wanted to continue their education. Someone in the crowd asked if any of their campus based programs paired up with mental health services, and a representative from a local university said that mental health services were not something she ever saw a need for within her parenting students, which sort or rubbed me the wrong way. I left feeling uneasy about how they approached many topics during that briefing, but it also helped me open my eyes to what the other side of the movement believes.  

What I have really learned through all of this, however, is how multifaceted policy truly is. When I think of policy, I usually think of the policymakers or legislators, yet I do not really stop to think about everything that goes into their decisions. Through my time at SPSSI, I have realized how much research, experimentation, and trials and errors must be done before concrete and successful policy can be introduced. As someone who plans to run for office one day, I think it is crucial for me to understand how complex the policymaking process can be, and my backgrounds in psychology and political science can help me achieve this.  

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