Health for All

But the impact of Giffith’s experience extends far beyond the daily tasks she performed. From her clinic co-workers, and particularly Weems, she came away reassured by a field that had previously left her feeling discouraged. “One of the things I find both interesting and disheartening about the health-care industry is the amount of medical gaslighting and trauma people experience upon entering a doctor's office,” she says. 

Nuances of human interaction are central to Griffith’s Oberlin studies too. She is a psychology research assistant under professor Sara Verosky, with whom she has worked on experiments that focus on how people make judgments about one another based on facial perceptions.

The compassion she witnessed at All Families turned her passion into a drive to pursue a career that supports reproductive rights, and she credits Oberlin with fostering that devotion. She considers campus a safe space for students to express their beliefs, grapple with societal issues together, and expand their understanding and expertise. She trained to be an abortion doula with the Oberlin Doula Collective, where she learned how to care for people experiencing abortions. During spring semester, she presented at Oberlin’s Reproductive Justice Symposium, joining fellow students in detailing practical implications related to abortion access in Ohio since the overturning of Roe v. Wade. Her presentation included resources currently available as well as those no longer available as a result of the Supreme Court decision.

Griffith believes that academic institutions are the perfect place to cultivate sexual and reproductive health advocacy. “The best way for Oberlin to be supportive of their students who are passionate about these topics would be to support, advocate for, and fund the organizations that are already in place,” she says, emphasizing the importance of the Sexual Information Center (SIC) and Survivors of Sexual Harm and Allies (SOSHA), among other groups.

To Griffith, the simple things—such as donations of time, money, and activism—go a long way in alleviating the challenges faced by citizens in regions that are restricted in their access to reproductive health care. “Vote in local and national elections, call your representatives, talk to your older relatives who may have different opinions, and share your story,” she says.

Perhaps more than anything, Griffith’s journey underscores the transformative power of a dedicated community.  

“Working at the clinic reinforced my passion for reproductive justice and health care equality,” she says, “and reminded me how important this work is.”