Undocumented people struggle to access reproductive care due to militarization of Arizona borderland

by María Inés Taracena

This article was originally published at Prism.

TW: This article contains mentions of rape, reproductive coercion, and domestic abuse.

Luisa grew up in a small, conservative town in northern Mexico, where being openly lesbian can mean a death sentence. She was about 20 years old when her mother forced her into a heterosexual marriage after finding out Luisa was in love with a woman.

“I was never happy,” she said.

Luisa, who is using a pseudonym for safety, has been married for three decades and has endured domestic violence throughout the marriage.