We don’t often think about the internet as being good for our health. In fact, “internet” and “health” are primarily related in a negative context in online spaces -- we’re getting too much screen time, we’re “chronically” online, etc.
It may come as a surprise, but access to the internet is commonly recognized as a "super" determinant of health. Limited internet access has been linked to high mortality rates during the COVID-19 pandemic, and having the internet in easy reach means we can stay informed about our health, order our prescriptions with a tap, consult with doctors and get access to pregnancy and reproductive care.
Sara Javaid and Lexi Rummel are among several researchers highlighting this connection. Following the repeal of Roe v. Wade, access to abortion and reproductive care has become critical nationwide, especially in places without adequate access to the internet.
Locating local internet providers
According to the findings in Rummel and Javaid's report, published by the National Women's Law Center, nearly half of all counties in the US are abortion deserts, or counties where the travel distance to the closest abortion care facility is over 100 miles; 53% of abortion deserts are also pregnancy care deserts. Notably, over 740,000 women live in counties with both a broadband desert and an abortion care desert, and nearly one-third of those women are women of color.
National Women's Law Center
“I think broadband has the potential to be the final way in which people can access abortion care,” Javaid, senior research analyst at the National Women's Law Center and lead researcher for the report, told CNET.
Locating local internet providers
Reproductive care is essential for services like cancer screening, gender-affirming care and the testing and treatment of sexually transmitted infections (STIs). Black women and other women of color are overrepresented in abortion care deserts, which amplifies their vulnerability to negative health outcomes.
According to a 2022 report by the Human Rights Watch, Black women are more than one and a half times as likely to die from cervical cancer as white women, a cancer which the Human Rights Watch notes is preventable with routine screenings and follow-up care.
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