About Us
Mission
Our Mission
ACCESS removes barriers to sexual and reproductive health care and builds the power of California women and girls to demand health, justice and dignity.
Our Vision
We believe in and trust women - all women.
We envision a future where women decide for themselves whether, when and how to have children. A future where women have access to the resources and options they need to realize their sexual and reproductive health decisions.
We envision a future where women are treated with dignity and respect in those decisions.
A future where people understand the context of women’s decision-making around pregnancy, and where those decisions are free from stigma.
We envision a future where women’s voices are clear and strong; where each woman trusts herself, knows her own power and uses it to demand that all women have the social, political, and economic power and resources to make healthy decisions for themselves and their families.
Our Values
Woman-Centered: This value grounds and guides all of our work. We will always place the woman and the quality of her life as our highest value. We know women to be full of strength, potential, and possibility. Our work is all about “partnering with,” not “doing for,” and not making women dependent on us - or anyone else.
Nonjudgmental: Because we see women in the full context of their lives, we know that they make decisions around pregnancy and reproductive health as a result of many factors - some they can control, many they cannot. We understand that life can be messy and each situation unique. We are steadfast in our commitment to bring unconditional support to each woman and will never judge a woman or the choices she makes.
Justice: Just as we view women in the context of their full lives, we see the issues of access to reproductive health and reproductive rights as social justice and human rights issues, and join with reproductive justice allies across the state and country to advance a movement that promotes the health and well-being of women, their families and communities.
Dignity: Our reproductive justice framework calls for an end to poverty and discrimination and affirms human dignity and women’s right to self-determination.
Equity: Sexual and reproductive health care must address the root causes of barriers experienced by women and girls, particularly women of color, low-income and poor women, and young women and girls. Barriers that undermine the provision of health care to women in underserved communities include: inaccessible providers, lack of health insurance, misinformation or bias, and language and cultural barriers.