Asetoyer, Charon. “The Failing State of Native American Women’s Health: Interview with Charon Asetoyer.” Center for American Progress, May 2007. http://www.americanprogress.org/issues/women/news/2007/05/16/2970/the-failing-state-of-native-american-womens-health-interview-with-charon-asetoyer/.
Annotation
In this interview, Charon Asetoyer discusses how Native-American women do not have adequate sexual or reproductive health care and how the inadequacy is worsened by the invisibility that results from living on reservations. Asetoyer gives some background about how she founded the Native American Women’s Health Education Center in order to provide some of the services she thought they should have but were not receiving from Indian Health Services. The organization fights for Native-American women to have access to the same services and options available to women living off of reservations.
This is a source that should be read by everyone who is interested in Native American women’s health since it clearly states and contextualizes the problem and conveys why this is a matter that needs immediate attention. The framework for this report is personal experience, since Asetoyer has seen firsthand how the lack of resources has affected the lives of Native-American women. This audience for this piece is varied and should be read by different tribes, administrators of Indian Health Services, and the general public.