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Veronica Leon

Professor Crystal Rodwell

English 21002

12 May 2018

Research Proposal Letter:

Undocumented Women’s Health Risks and their Struggle for Health Care

INTRODUCTION

No human being can go a lifetime without getting sick, but America has it covered.

Health insurance is a great system in the United States designed to provide people with medical

care such as doctor visits, medicine, or even medical emergencies. Although health insurance is a

great system it faces a major flaw, it is inaccessible to undocumented immigrants. For this paper

I focus on undocumented women because not only do they suffer from their immigrant status but

also gender oppression. All the oppression they recieve can cause serious health issues. The

purpose of this research is to answer the following: what health risks do undocumented women

face, and why do they need health care.

BACKGROUND

Women who come to America while crossing the U.S- Mexico border face many

hardships leading them to health issues. Crossing the border has become a traumatizing

experience for many undocumented women and Katherine Careaga specifies further on in her

article “ Women, Migration, and Sexual transmitted Diseases in the Migration Process of Altar,

Sonora: Agency in the Midst of Multiple Vulnerabilities.” Careaga states “Undocumented

women face the threat of rape along the migration.” ( Careaga, 544) When crossing the
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U.S.-Mexico border people aren’t segregated, men and women go as one group. Women are

often seen as sexual objects, and are raped to fulfill the desires of men along the immigration.

Raped women are left defenseless because once they leave their mother country they had no

rights and if they would file a report they could be deported. Without filing a report they are are

unable to receive check up making them unaware of any possible illnesses that could be

transmitted through their rape such as STDs. Rape is a main cause of illnesses found in

undocumented, and they are unable to receive the appropriate attention because they aren’t

legalized.

Undocumented women not having access to health insurance puts them in a situation that

undermines their health. A lot of undocumented women are exploited at work with long hours

and small wages. Leo R. Chavez, F. Allan Hubbell, Shiraz I. Mishra and R. Burciaga Valdez are

a group of professors from the University of California. They collided and wrote about the data

they collected from Latina women in their article called “Undocumented Latina Immigrants in

Orange County, California: A Comparative Analysis.” The article mentions the most common

jobs that lie between the Latina undocumented women which are house cleaning, childcare, but

also work as waitresses, hotel maids, and kitchen workers. In the article the group professors

mention “Despite low incomes and likelihood of having children under the age of 18 living with

them their use of public assistance was low.”(88) If you don’t have health insurance, a doctor’s

visit can be relatively expensive. Undocumented women have many economical concerns such

as gaining low wages and having to sustain their family with food, shelter, clothes, and other

necessities. Having all these expenses doesn’t give these women enough to pay for their own
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health. Without health insurance these women don’t care for their health enough to pay its

expensive price.

The United States government is a fearful subject to many undocumented women. Health

insurance is out of the question for undocumented immigrants, but that doesn’t mean that

receiving help from the government is. Leo R. Chavez, Estevan T. Flores, and Marta Lopez-

Garza discuss the alternatives of health insurance for undocumented individuals in their article

“Undocumented Latin American Immigrants and U.S. Health Services: An Approach to a

Political Economy of Utilization.” Medicaid is a good alternative for health insurance, although

it is not quite the same. Medicaid is a source of government assistance for low income families in

paying for long term medical and custodial care costs. To receive help from the government an

undocumented person should be well aware of what they are giving up. Chavez, Flores and

Garza state “ A patient who later attempts to legalize his status could then be considered likely to

become a public charge for having once used government- funded health services and he could

thereby be denied legal immigration status.” (8) Undocumented people must be extremely

careful with their health condition. Most undocumented women know that since they have low

wages they must work extra hours to fulfill the needs of their household. These women are

willing to be exploited and oppressed to provide for their children but in the long run they could

end up ill with a dilemma. Once they are ill they have to see if it’s worth giving up their future

legal status for their recuperation. Undocumented women have to be precautious because if they

receive any form of medical assistance from the government it can lead to a disqualification of

their legal immigrant papers.

RESEARCH METHODOLOGY
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An organization that specializes in providing undocumented women with health care is

called Grameen VidaSana. This is a non-profit organization located in Jackson Heights and is

open to any women over the age of 18 who aren’t legalized.

The organization only offers primary care. This includes of general physical exams,

exams for infections of sexual transmission, flu vaccines and pregnancy tests. The research will

consist of two things. One will be an observation which will be a detailed description of how the

office looks like and functions in an active day with their patients. The second part of the

research is an interview with the organization’s manager, Maria Cerra. The interview will consist

of questions based on my observations, functionalities of the organization, and the Cerra’s

personal experience on being a part of the organization.

CODE OF ETHICS

To help myself in the fieldwork I have created this code of ethics to better manage my

behavior. Since our subcultures differ the code of ethics serves me as a guideline on how to

direct myself and informant with her perspective and histories. As a researcher. I understand the

following is important:

1. Before fieldworking begins, I will explain the topic and the process of my research paper

to my interviewee. This will be done in a soft and steady way which will allow my

informant to ask any questions. I will intend to speak in a way that is very understandable

and concise. If my informant does not understand I will slow down, listen and respond to

any questions they may have. I will also ask if I could use my informant’s name or if they

rather keep it anonymous.

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2. Before fieldwork begins, my informant and I should have a clear understanding of the

purpose of the research. I will be focused on receiving accurate information through the

portraits I observe. Once I have my final product I must share it with the informants

before they are due in order to receive their confirmation on my recorded data. This will

be done according to the informants preference either orally or in writing.

3. During fieldwork, I will always keep in mind that the informant is doing me a favor by

taking time off their hands to provide me with the information of the organization. If

moments present where I could return the favor. I will offer my services.

4. I will keep an open- mind on my interview questions. My questions will reflect as to what

I don’t know and as to what my informants says and does. My questions won’t be the

same as when I started, based on the information I am given by my informant my

questions may change and add on. I won’t be subjected to only note taking, I will ask if

it’s okay to have an audio-record.

5. The final product will be based on how the informant perceives their culture, and not on

discovering the truth.

INTERVIEW QUESTIONS

1. One of the primary questions I would like to ask is based on your member eligibility

requirements. I have visited your website and understand that the organization mainly

focuses on women over the age of 18, but are their any other requirement in order to be

an eligible member?

2. What is the main reason that these women attend this organization?

3. What services do you provide for these women?

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4. As a non-profit organization, how do you keep this program running?

5. How do you recruit these women to to form part of the organization?

6. Do you have any contact with other organizations?

7. Your website also states that the organization isn’t able to prescribe medications,

therefore you guys help your patients out by providing them with the help to find

discounts in these medications. How do you do so?

8. I have seen in your website that the organization doesn’t require ID, why would that

be?

9. Since you guys do not require ID or any other documentations, how does your

organization figure out if women are eligible or not?

10. I have also noticed that in your website it mentions that after you have joined you have

a 2 weeks wait to meet with your doctor. Why is it 2 weeks?

11. I would also like to include some personal questions. What role do you play in

contributing to the organization?

12. What motivates you to wake up every morning and come to contribute to this

organization?

13. What would you like to see as some future success for the organization?

14. Can you mention an impacting case of a woman in this organization that has popped

out to you?

15. Do you see yourself contributing to this organization in the upcoming years?
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WORKS CITED:

● Careaga, Katherine. “Women, Migration, and Sexually Transmitted Diseases in the

Migration Process of Altar, Sonora: Agency in the Midst of Multiple Vulnerabilities.”

Journal of the Southwest​, vol. 51, no. 4, 2009, pp. 543–561. ​JSTOR​, JSTOR,

www.jstor.org/stable/40599708​.

● Chavez, Leo R., et al. “Undocumented Latina Immigrants in Orange County, California:

A Comparative Analysis.” ​The International Migration Review​, vol. 31, no. 1, 1997, pp.

88–107. ​JSTOR​, JSTOR, ​www.jstor.org/stable/2547259​.

● Chavez, Leo R., et al. “Undocumented Latin American Immigrants and U. S. Health

Services: An Approach to a Political Economy of Utilization.” ​Medical Anthropology

Quarterly​, vol. 6, no. 1, 1992, pp. 6–26. ​JSTOR​, JSTOR, ​www.jstor.org/stable/648740​.