Campbell launches new health care unit
Reproductive justice division could be a model, AG says
Attorney General Andrea Campbell announced the launch of the office’s reproductive justice unit Monday with the appointment of longtime abortion rights advocate Sapna Khatri as the unit’s first director.
“Massachusetts has and will continue to show itself to be the north star for the nation on reproductive health access,” Campbell said during a press conference at her office. “We are here again leading the way by announcing the formation of the first of its kind Reproductive Justice Unit ... and we’re really, really proud that we’re getting this off the ground today.”
The unit is tasked with protecting and expanding access to abortion and reproductive health care, in addition to gender-affirming care and postpartum maternal health. Campbell said she intends for the unit to become a national leader, collaborating with attorneys general in other states to respond to national attacks on reproductive rights, reduce racial disparities in maternal care, and combat abortion misinformation that prevents access to care.
Campbell’s creation of the unit comes as nearly half of the states in the country have restricted or banned access to abortion in the wake of last year’s US Supreme Court ruling eliminating the constitutional right to abortion after almost 50 years.
Khatri’s appointment marks a critical step for Campbell in staffing new specialized units she promised to deliver on the campaign trail. Tuesday’s announcement follows the appointment of Mary Freeley in August to lead the office’s Elder Justice Unit, focused on tackling elder abuse, including the manipulation and financial exploitation of the elderly. In May, Campbell also announced heads of the office’s existing criminal, environmental, gov
ernment, health care, and public protection bureaus.
Campbell underscored Khatri’s experience advocating for reproductive and gender equity, most recently as a clinical teaching fellow at the University of California, Los Angeles, where she launched the school’s inaugural Reproductive Justice Externship Program.
“By focusing on health equity and education, while centering community voices and partnering with stakeholders ... both in and out of our state, our work can and will ensure that Massachusetts continues to lead the way,” Khatri told reporters and reproductive justice advocates gathered at the press conference.
“I’ve been doing this work for a while, but it’s my first time doing the work here in New England and I’m very excited to be in the Commonwealth and to make this my home,” she said. She added that her vision for the office is to ensure that both Massachusetts residents and visitors can access “the full suite of sexual and reproductive health care,” including “if, when, and how to have a family.”
Khatri helped establish the country’s first medical-legal partnership at Planned Parenthood, working with the UCLA law school’s reproductive health center, the Black Health Initiative at Planned Parenthood Inglewood, and the Legal Aid Foundation of Los Angeles. She has additionally worked on reproductive justice and privacy law at the ACLU of Illinois, according to her LinkedIn.
“It is not just about access to abortion. That’s one piece of the work, but it really is about access to health care,” Campbell said of her expectations for Khatri and the new unit. “It’s about freedom, and she gets that.”
The announcement of Khatri’s leadership represents the official launch of the unit, but Campbell stressed that her office has been working since she took office in January to champion the expansion of reproductive and maternal health services statewide. In August, she awarded $1.5 million in grants to clinics, health centers, and other organizations focused on eliminating disparities in maternal care, which includes access to doulas, behavioral and mental health services, and breastfeeding support. Shortly after her inauguration in January, Campbell also launched a hot line with the nonprofit Reproductive Equity Now to provide confidential legal advice for women seeking abortions.
At Monday’s press conference, Campbell said the new unit will be critical to enforcing the state’s Shield Law, which protects both providers and those seeking care from criminal prosecution in states with strict abortion bans. Additionally, she said the office will push to expand the number of insurance providers who will cover reproductive health care costs both pre- and postpartum.
Carol Rose, executive director of the American Civil Liberties Union of Massachusetts, which has been a vocal supporter of the Shield Law, said during an interview that she expects the new unit to play a pivotal role in protecting the data privacy of Massachusetts residents and people who come from out of state for abortions or gender-affirming care.
As the US Supreme Court considers hearing a case that could restrict access to abortion medication, Rose said, “The legal landscape is changing, and with this unit, the [attorney general’s] office is poised to deepen relationships with onthe-ground providers to protect access to reproductive health care... not just abortions, but the whole person care.”