By Alexandra Samuels, a KSU Women’s Center Writing Intern
The reproductive justice movement has been making strides to combat inequity and emphasize the voices of minority groups for 29 years. The movement was founded in 1994 by a group of twelve Black women who wanted to promote education around other social issues that affect reproductive health. Other cultural communities were involved with the making of this movement including Indigenous peoples, African Americans, Asian Americans, Latin Americans, and the LGBTQ+ community. The purpose was to center the most marginalized, address oppression, analyze power systems, and join with other social movement organizations for support. They also wished to focus on factors that limit healthcare including immigration status, sexuality, race, income, and gender identification.
As the Asian Communities for Reproductive Justice organization states, “We believe reproductive justice is the complete physical, mental, spiritual, political, economic, and social well-being of women and girls, and will be achieved when women and girls have the economic, social, and political power and resources to make healthy decisions about our bodies, sexuality, and reproduction for ourselves, our families, and our communities in all areas of our lives.”
Sister Song, a multiracial reproductive justice organization, also comments on reproductive justice stating: “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.”
Reproductive justice also looks at other factors that affect how children are raised. This ranges from addressing incarceration rates, neighborhoods, police brutality, and environmental issues. The movement was initially created in response to the reproductive rights movement in the 1970s where women of color, people with low income, disabilities, and the LGBTQ+ community felt marginalized since the movement primarily focused on white women and pro-life, pro-choice debates. There were also still racist stigmas associated with Black women, which was found on over 200 billboards in the state of New York. These anti-abortion billboards had racist depictions and even included sayings like “The most dangerous place for a Black person is in the womb.”
The United States has a long history with forced sterilization that was aimed mostly at working class Black women, Native American women, Puerto Ricans, immigrants, convicts, and mental health institution patients. Even during the year Roe v. Wade was passed, 25% of Indigenous women were forcibly sterilized. These issues inspired the creation of Sister Song, one of the first nonprofit organizations to promote reproductive justice. Sister Song advocates access to abortion services, contraceptives, sex ed, prevention and care for STIs, adequate prenatal and pregnancy care, good wages to support families, domestic violence assistance, and safe homes/environment for families.
A large problem that reproductive justice confronts is the lack of access. Many different organizations state that “access is key” and should be offered to everyone regardless of their race, economic status, gender, immigration status, or sexual orientation. Access refers to different aspects including access to sexual education, contraception, maternal healthcare, freedom from sexual violence, and feminine healthcare checkups. Another factor that could affect access is the ability to travel to get the care that you need. What if someone works full time and is unable to take time off work? Or, what if they do not own a car and there are no longer care facilities near them? According to the May 2022 Lending Club survey, approximately 64% of Americans live paycheck to paycheck. This does not leave a lot of extra spending money for someone who has a family or receives a lower income.
Research conducted by the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) shows that women who do not have access to reliable transportation, affordable groceries, and safe public spaces are more likely to have issues with maternal health than women who have access to these resources. The CDC also found that racial segregation in residential areas is one of the leading causes of racial socioeconomic disparities, as well as unequal access to healthcare for people of color. Another study conducted by the CDC shows the current Pregnancy Related Mortality Ratio (PRMR) for different races, which concluded that the rate of pregnancy related deaths is three times higher for Black women than it is for white women.
In terms of immigration there are many factors that prohibit individuals from obtaining proper healthcare. A large issue immigrants face is that they are unable to qualify for insurance (including Medicaid and the Children’s Health Insurance Plan) until they have been a citizen for at least five years. Many immigration detention centers will also deny an abortion, even if the pregnancy could be fatal, and have reportedly forced sterilization onto people detained in the center. Cities that are very immigrant populous have been struggling since the overturn of Roe v. Wade and the decrease of accessible care. Most planned parenthood facilities also offer checkups for women including STI checks and breast cancer screenings. This decrease in access leaves women who have immigrated to the United States with few options in the five-year span of being uninsured.
Another key issue that reproductive justice recognizes is a need for proper sexual education. The CDC has a guideline of twenty topics that they recommend being taught in the public-school curriculum, which only 43% of high schools in the country follow. Some states, including Texas, only offer their public schools one textbook which solely teaches abstinence. Ohio, more specifically Cuyahoga County, has a health curriculum which also stresses abstinence and is often shaming, teaching an extreme risk of contracting an STI if you partake in premarital sexual activity. Only 33% of all high schools in Ohio teach the recommended twenty topics from the CDC, while only 7.2% of schools teaching grades 6-8 teach the topics.
The Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance System (YRBSS) conducts studies every couple of years to better understand if high school students are sexually active, and if they are, whether they can or do use contraceptives. The 2019 study shows that 38% of all high schoolers have had sexual encounters, increasing by grade, resulting in 56% of all seniors in high school having sexual relations. The report shows that this percentage did not change since 2015 and has been fairly consistent each time the study has been done. Of the 38% of high schoolers, only 54% have reported practicing safe sex and have used condoms. 31% reported also using backup methods like birth control. While condom use rates have increased in Northern states, Southern states have a lower percentage of condom use and a higher rate of sexual activity.
Reproductive justice also looks at how a child is brought up, if their environment is stable, and what their neighborhood looks like. An unfortunate reality is that the number of children in the foster care system has been continually increasing since the system was developed. Some reasons a child ends up in the foster care system includes the death of their parents, neglect, abuse, parental incarceration, drug abuse, or their parents willingly giving them up. On any given day there are approximately 440,000 children circulating the system, while more than 670,000 experience it annually. Generally, children that enter the system are under the age of five (48%) which is one of the most developmental points in a child’s life. They are often left feeling scared and alone since they are unable to fully understand the situation. 25% of people who have been in foster care experience PTSD, which is twice as high as United States veterans. Many also experience other mental health problems like anxiety, low self-esteem, and depression due to their unstable childhood.
In 2021 there were a total of 606,000 children who circulated the system. Of this, 215,000 exited the system, while only 54,200 of the 215,000 were adopted. Some reasons children leave the system include aging out (turning 18), death, adoption, emancipation, running away, transferring to another system, being reunited with a caregiver, or living with relatives. 20% of those who age out of the system will be instantly homeless, generally also being left with a lack of work experience, education, and a higher risk for health issues.
These issues are all problems that the reproductive justice movement has been striving to alleviate. The movement wants to empower women’s health and increase education about other issues like proper/affordable healthcare, sexual education, and how the environment affects these. While this was only skimming the surface of what the movement covers, more can be learned on Sister Song’s website, as well as ways you can get involved. According to Sister Song, in order to combat injustice and promote equity we must analyze power systems and address the ongoing battle of oppression. Bringing forward the most marginalized people and listening to their voices is key to ensuring a future where everyone is equal.
References
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U.S Commission on Civil Rights. (2021, September). Racial Disparities in Maternal Health, 2021 Statuary Enforcement Report. https://www.usccr.gov/files/2021/09-15-Racial-Disparities-in-Maternal-Health.pdf.
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