DR. HEATHER IROBUNDA MD IN CONVERSATION WITH FEMINIST
by FEMINIST
Read this in the FEMINIST ZINE
“Your friendly, neighborhood OB/GYN” is how you may know Dr. Heather Irobunda MD (@drheatheribundamd on Instagram). Dr. Heather Irobunda found her voice in the movement of reproductive justice in the US when she co-founded, alongside a group of doctors turned activists, Obstetricians for Reproductive Justice. The multicultural OBGYN-led organization works to share the stories of the real-time harm happening to patients & providers in post-Roe America. We sat down with about what feminism means to her and how we can help take action!
Feminist: What does being a feminist mean to you?
Dr Heather: Being a feminist means that I believe that anybody who identifies as a woman is able to reach their full potential. So, it means that we all should be getting the same amount of rights as men, that we should – we all have the entitlement to be happy, to be healthy, to be safe, and so any work that prioritizes that, that is feminism to me.
Feminist: How did you find your voice in the movement?
Dr. Heather: My voice? That’s interesting because I feel like I’m an unlikely source of this voice. I never saw myself having a voice in any movement. It was just more so that I just didn’t see what I needed out of, I guess, you know, not only content online but just like even people who will represent us. So, I didn’t see someone who was a Black woman in a larger body, who was a doctor, who was a doctor who did reproductive health. And so for me, that’s the reason why I became the voice that I wanted – I became the voice I wanted to see. I was like, there has to be someone like me, who’s also looking for the same thing. And so that’s why I decided to go online and do the things that I do. But also, now with all the work in terms of reproductive health and reproductive justice, it’s more so that my patients need me to do this work. So, I – that’s where I found my voice. Because it was just like, who else is gonna do it? I’m waiting, I’m still waiting, and I haven’t met – I haven’t met those people, so that’s why I’m doing the work that I’m doing.
Feminist: As a doctor, how do you find the connection between being a doctor and being an advocate for reproductive justice, reproductive rights, and all that?
Dr. Heather: Being a doctor, we’re told to advocate for our patients, right? And usually though, it’s looked at at a microscopic level. So it’s like, making sure your patient gets whatever imaging study you need them to get, or whatever medication you need them to get, whatever surgery they need to have, and trying to do that in a timely fashion. However, with, kind of on a larger scale, and this movement, I feel like I’m just taking that to a bigger role. So it’s like, my community, my nation, women in general. These are the – we need certain things, and I need to advocate for them in that sense, and that’s how I kind of bridge the gap, because it’s a different interpretation of how we normally see doctors, but it’s not that uncommon for what we were trained to do. We were trained to be advocates, but on a small scale, but I feel like now we need to be advocates on a larger scale.
Feminist: Final question. How can people reading this article right now [laugh]... further drive action or help you in your movement?
Dr. Heather: In our movement, we just need people to be talking about abortion, we need people to be talking about reproductive health, reproductive justice, so having those conversations with your family, with your friends – anyone around you. It may get awkward, it may get weird, you may get shut down. But the more you keep pushing, the more advancement of equality and equity you’ll see. Because, let me tell you, I never thought people like my mom, or people in my mom’s generation, would understand some of these concepts of, like, trans rights, and abortion rights and all that stuff, and I see that difference now. It’s shocking to see my mom understand and empathize and sympathize with what’s going on. So, even if it feels like you’re hitting a brick wall, and you’re with these people who don’t understand what you’re trying to say, and they don’t understand the equity that you’re fighting for, keep pushing. ‘Cause there’s something you’re gonna say, you’re gonna say it a little differently, you’re gonna do it a little differently, they’re gonna see something different and ask you about it. And guess what? That’s going to move the needle for that person, and we need everybody to do that in their circles. Additionally, you can also go to https://obstetriciansforreprojustice.org/ [laugh] and you will get a whole bunch of information about the work that we’re doing to share stories of post-Roe harm and also to elevate voices that are fighting for reproductive justice.