A trip to Brazil showed me how Tennessee can invest in reproductive health care

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In May, I had the incredible opportunity to travel to Brazil with a group of state lawmakers from across the country to learn how another nation — one with different geography but similar struggles — approaches reproductive healthcare and maternal justice.
This trip, organized by the State Innovation Exchange and the Women's Equality Center, was deeply personal for me. As a Black woman, a mother and a state senator from Tennessee — a state that has turned its back on reproductive freedom — I carry this work in my bones.
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In many ways, Brazil mirrors modern America: a country where abortion is restricted, yet people are still fighting every day to protect their rights. But Brazil, even under a ban, still provides exceptions in cases of rape, incest and fetal anomalies. Tennessee? None of that.
The only time you can legally access abortion care in our state is if you're about to die. Full stop.
But the biggest difference? Brazil invests in public healthcare. They have a national system that provides contraception, maternal care and support — even for women navigating pregnancies under incredibly difficult circumstances.
Meanwhile, in Tennessee, we haven't just banned abortion. We've slashed funding for family planning clinics, refused to expand Medicaid and passed law after law aimed at controlling women, not caring for them.
During our visit, we sat down with doctors, nurses, nonprofit leaders and community organizers. We heard directly from women — especially Black and Indigenous women — who are fighting to survive a healthcare system stacked against them.
While there, I couldn't help but think of my sisters back in Memphis. Because the truth is, whether you're in Brazil or the American South, Black women are dying at alarming rates from preventable pregnancy complications. That's not just a policy failure — it's a moral one.
But what I saw in Brazil wasn't just struggle — it was resistance.
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Women organizing. Healthcare workers standing up for their patients. Communities pushing back against disinformation and political control. It reminded me that this fight for reproductive justice is global — and that we are not alone.
What stuck with me most was the strength and dignity of the women we met. They're not asking for pity. They're demanding a system that respects their lives, their choices and their families. And that's exactly what we need to be creating here in Tennessee.
We need to build a system that works for the people, not against them. That means fighting to restore access to abortion care, expanding Medicaid, funding maternal health services and writing policies that protect — not punish — those who need care the most.
This trip lit a deeper fire in me. Because while I'm proud to represent Memphis, I refuse to accept that this is the best we can do. Black women, poor women, rural families — our people — deserve better than a state government and healthcare system that treats them as an afterthought.
Reproductive healthcare is a human right. Period. And we shouldn't have to cross oceans to be reminded of that.
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I came back from Brazil even more committed to the fight here in Tennessee. This work isn't just about politics — it's about survival. And I won't stop until our state honors the dignity, autonomy, and humanity of every single person it serves.
State Sen. London Lamar represents Memphis and parts of Shelby County in the Tennessee Senate. She also serves as chairwoman of the Senate Democratic Caucus.
This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Tennessee can learn a lot from women's healthcare in Brazil | Opinion