Scholar Spotlight: Kate Coleman-Minahan

This week, we're spotlighting Kate Coleman-Minahan, whose research on reproductive rights for adolescents has garnered attention. In 37 states, teenagers under 18 must involve a parent in their decision to terminate a pregnancy. Coleman-Minahan wrote an OpEd in the My Statesman and a recent SSN brief about judicial bypass - a way adolescents can consent for themselves. The process can be confusing and humiliating for young women, and Coleman-Minahan advocates for a different system to protect their autonomy.

Kate Coleman-Minahan

Assistant Professor of Nursing, University of Colorado College of Nursing; Faculty Research Affiliate, University of Texas at Austin

SSN Key Findings: Many Low Income Women Do Not Get the Effective Contraception They Want after Giving Birth

Coleman-Minahan’s research focuses on reproductive health disparities among marginalized women, particularly adolescents and immigrants. First, she uses an intersectional framework that includes structural disadvantage, gender inequality, and cultural processes to examine women’s reproductive health decision-making. Second, she investigates how policy and clinical practice impact access to and quality of contraceptive and abortion care. 

Coleman-Minahan provides primary care to young mothers and their children at the Young Mother’s Clinic at Children’s Hospital Colorado. She also volunteers with immigrant advocacy groups such as the Colorado Organization for Latina Opportunity and Reproductive Rights (COLOR) and Servicios de La Raza.

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