Dare to Dream Big

From overturning the Global Gag Rule and restoring funding to UNFPA on the international side to ridding our nation of harmful abstinence-only sex education and uber-politicized decisions at the FDA on the domestic, the reproductive health community is justifiably excited about the prospects for an Obama Administration and a supportive Congress to turn back many of the heinous policies that have been in place for much of the past eight years.  

After years of being beaten down and of working to incrementally to claw our way back to sound policies, reproductive health advocates may be tempted to shy away from dreaming big and believing that we might finally be able to extricate our issues from the political morass into which they have become enmeshed.    

But rather than seeking a return to "the way things were under the Clinton Administration... plus some," why not take this historic opportunity to think about how things "could be" if all was right with the world?   

Why not dare to dream, to hope, and to believe that we can achieve great gains for the women of this nation and the world?  Why not take to heart President-elect Obama's vision of a world that shares a common humanity, where our policies recognize and promote the inherent equality, dignity and worth of all people?  

As the transition team and the new administration work to consolidate U.S. foreign assistance, why not ensure that gender equality undergirds our new foreign aid infrastructure and our foreign policies?   

As the nation rejoins the global community in recognizing and prioritizing the Millennium Development Goals (a stated priority of candidate Obama), why not use the voice of our community to promote a more humane internationalism grounded on reducing poverty and ensuring equal rights for all?   

As President Obama begins to undo the harmful domestic policies of the Bush Administration, why not take advantage of his overwhelming support among the nation's women and youth to actively promote a sexually healthy nation - one that reflects the realities of people's lives, rather than a sexist, homophobic, backward vision of how a minority idealizes the world should be? 

For decades now, reproductive health policy in this country has been hyper-politicized and partisan.  Let's take this historic, perhaps once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, to think big about breaking out of that pattern.   

Let's move away from our vertical, siloized approaches and think about how to truly integrate sexual and reproductive health into a comprehensive range of programs, domestic and international.   

Let's support evidence-based prevention and act on the notion that health is both a right and a responsibility.   

Let's proceed as if we truly believe that women's rights and reproductive rights are human rights.   

Let's envision not just winning the short-term internecine battles around reproductive health, but actually winning the long-term peace.  If we step back from our focus on day-to-day tactics and strategies and dare to dream, yes, I believe we can.