Justice

Disney Princess Cartoons Nail the Scary Health Reality Facing Women Under Trump

January 19th 2017

A pair of women recently created a series of cartoons that features Disney princesses in the most unapologetic illustration of what women's rights could look like under the Trump administration.

Disney princesses under Trump's administrationMaritza Lugo - medium.com

Writer Danielle Sepulveres and illustrator Maritza Lugo have recently collaborated on images of Disney princesses. Their first illustrations of the princesses at the gynecologist were intended to promote Cervical Health Awareness Month. The most recent princess images show the characters in scenarios which aim to convey how their experiences obtaining health care might be different under Donald Trump, who promised to repeal the Affordable Care Act (ACA) during his campaign.

Obamacare is currently "under attack and therefore the health insurance of 20 million Americans is under attack," Sepulveres told ATTN: via email.

These Disney princess images illustrate a bleak portrait of women's healthcare in 2017.

Disney princesses under Trump's administrationMaritza Lugo - medium.com

"I knew with Maritza’s art skills we’d at least garner some attention because the visuals were so fantastic, you can’t NOT pay attention," Sepulveres told ATTN:.

The president-elect's words on the campaign trail have caused some women to worry about what will happen to their birth control access if the ACA disappears. House Speaker Paul Ryan has also said that defunding Planned Parenthood is a priority for Republicans, and Vice President-elect Mike Pence has been vocal about his opposition to Planned Parenthood.

Disney princesses under TrumpMaritza Lugo - medium.com

In one of the images, Princess Jasmine is faced with the controversial practice of requiring burials or cremations for abortions and miscarriages. Pence famously backed and signed a bill of this nature in Indiana, but the law was ultimately suspended.

Disney princesses under Trump Maritza Lugo - medium.com

"This year, I’ve gotten a lot of 'whoa you and Maritza took it to a darker place this year' mainly because of the Aladdin and Jasmine image of having to make funeral arrangements for a miscarriage. But we’re in a strange, frightening, potentially dark time, so it’s only right that we don’t sugarcoat it," Sepulveres told ATTN:.

She added that she hopes the illustrations show people on the other side of the political spectrum how scary the threat of losing health coverage is for a lot of women.

"Hearing personal anecdotes and really paying attention so that these stories of people who need ACA to survive resonate and they see that the best course of action is to figure out how to make premiums more affordable, while still allowing people with pre-existing conditions to be covered," Sepulveres told ATTN:. "I hope they see that there are human beings who are terrified and feel a repeal is a death sentence for them and that coming up with improvements is what our government needs to [work] on from both sides of the aisle. Healthcare should be a non-partisan issue. And it should be a right, not a privilege."

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