What is reproductive justice? A pro-human rights, abortion movement
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Thousands march on 50th anniversary of Roe v. Wade decision legalizing abortion
The Supreme Court of the United States overturned the landmark Roe v. Wade decision last year that legalized abortion nationwide.
Patrick Colson-Price, USA TODAY
Unlike the more mainstream phrase “reproductive rights,” reproductive justice goes beyond abortion access.
The social justice and human rights movement embracing health care access for all has grown in popularity among abortion access activists since the Supreme Court overturned last year Roe v. Wade, the decades-long ruling protecting abortion rights. Now, the framework is broadening the conversation on abortion rights to more than a single-issue movement, activists said.
What is the significance of reproductive justice?
The reproductive justice movement was created by Black women in the 1990s to challenge conversations around abortion access that center white women. It highlights how multiple intersecting identities and factors, including race, income, gender identity and sexuality and immigration status, affect a person’s ability to make choices about their reproductive life.
“This framework is really about intersectionality and human rights and having a more expanded conversation that includes the totality of our lives, in particular as people of color and folks who have historically been pushed to the margins in this country,” said Monica Simpson, executive director of SisterSong Women of Color Reproductive Justice Collective, a multiracial reproductive justice organization.
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In simplest terms, the reproductive justice framework centers the broader human right “to maintain personal bodily autonomy, have children, not have children, and parent the children we have in safe and sustainable communities,” Simpson said.
A reproductive rights perspective often ignores that, even when abortion is legal, many people cannot access it because of historic barriers to care among marginalized communities, said Lupe Rodriguez, executive director of the National Latina Institute for Reproductive Justice. Reproductive justice also looks at how issues, including police brutality, mass incarceration, environmental injustice and other topics, affect people’s ability to have and raise children.
“One of the biggest differences between the reproductive justice framework and other frameworks is in centering the lived experiences, expertise and leadership of those most impacted,” Rodriguez said.
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What is reproductive justice advocacy?
The intersectional nature of reproductive justice means advocates often work hand-in-hand with activists from other movements.
When the Supreme Court last year struck down Roe v. Wade, many civil rights organizations grappled with tackling reproductive justice in a new way, several reproductive justice advocates told USA TODAY.
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“We finally began to see more civil rights organizations connecting the dots,” Rodriguez said. “There were some of those partnerships happening before that but the Dobbs decision was, for many, a wake-up call to see how these social justice movements — civil rights, voting rights, labor rights, economic justice, immigrant rights and reproductive justice — intersect.”
Simpson from SisterSong said the organization is planning more meetings, trainings, town halls and other joint actions with its civil rights partners.
“Over the years, we’ve strengthened our connection to each other,” she said. “But there’s work to do. We need to keep building solidarity and showing how all our work is so inextricably linked to each other. Or silos are not going to save us.”
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How can you support reproductive justice?
People interested in joining SisterSong can sign up to be a member on the organization’s website.
SisterSong provides training to colleges, schools and community groups on the history and principles of reproductive justice. It also provides a fund for those who need support during and immediately after pregnancies; labor trainings on advocating for oneself in health care settings; community conversations about reproductive justice; doula skills training; and a fund for artist-activists. Information about each of these programs can be found on SisterSong’s website.
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The National Asian Pacific American Women’s Forum offers an online toolkit for people wanting to learn more about advocating for the reproductive freedom of Asian American communities in the United States.
People can donate to the National Latina Institute for Reproductive Justice on the organization’s website or join activist networks in Florida, New York, Texas or Virginia.
The Texas-based Afiya Center trains community members to be activists, including through a youth leadership program. It also hosts healing and empowerment spaces for Black women living with HIV and has community roundtables about reproductive justice. The center is accepting volunteers.
Contact Christine Fernando at cfernando@usatoday.com or follow her on Twitter at @christinetfern.