reproductive justice Understanding Reproductive Justice: Transforming the Pro-Choice Movement By Loretta Ross eproductive Justice is the complete physi- These issues directly affect an individual woman's cal, mental, spiritual, political, social and decision-making process. By shifting the focus to economic well-being of women and girls, reproductive oppression—the control and exploi- R tation of women, girls and individuals through our based on the full achievement and protection of women's human rights. It offers a new perspec- bodies, sexuality, labor and reproduction—rather tive on reproductive issue advocacy, pointing out than a narrow focus on protecting the legal right that for Indigenous women and women of color to abortion, we are developing a more inclusive it is important to fight equally for (1) the right to vision of how to build a new movement. have a child; (2) the right not to have a child; and Because reproductive oppression aflfects (3) the right to parent the women's lives in multiple ways, a multi-pronged children we have, as well approach is needed to fight this exploitation and advance the well-being of women and girls. It is important to fight for as to control our birthing options, such as midwifery. There are three main fi-ameworks for fighting (1) the right to have a child; (2) the We also fight for the neces- reproductive oppression: right not to have a child; and (3) the sary enabling conditions to 1. REPRODUCTIVE HEALTH, which deals with right to parent the children we have. realize these rights. This is service delivery in contrast to the singular 2. REPRODUCTIVE RIGHTS, which addresses legal focus on abortion by the issues, and pro-choice movement. 3. REPRODUCTIVE JUSTICE, which focuses on Reproductive Justice says that the ability of movement building. any woman to determine her own reproductive Although these frameworks are distinct in their destiny is linked directly to the conditions in her approaches, they work together to provide a com- community—and these conditions are not just a prehensive solution. Ultimately, as in any move- matter of individual choice and access. Reproduc- ment, all three components—service, advocacy tive justice addresses the social reality of inequal- and organizing—are crucial. ity, specifically, the inequality of opportunities that Reproductive Justice focuses on organizing we have to control our reproductive destiny. women, girls and their commtinities to challenge One of the key problems addressed by Repro- structural power inequalities in a comprehensive ductive Justice is the isolation of abortion fi"om and transformative process of empowerment. The other social justice issues that concern communi- Reproductive Justice analysis offers a framework ties of color: issues of economic justice, the envi- for empowering women and girls that is relevant ronment, immigrants' rights, disability rights, dis- to every American family. Instead of focusing crimination based on race and sexual orientation, on the means—a divisive debate on abortion and and a host of other community-centered concems. birth control that neglects the real-life experiences 14 off oiiT backs vol 36 / no 4 reproductive justice of women and girls—the reproductive justice are understandably resistant to having the choice/ analysis focuses on the ends: better lives for privacy fi^amework disputed within the movement. women, healthier families, and sustainable com- As explained by a woman of color organizer for the munities. This is a clear and consistent message March for Women's Lives: "When we try to explain for the movement. Using this analysis, we can how choice is an inappropriate term even for integrate multiple issues and bring together con- many white women, some allies—especially older stituencies that are multi-racial, multi-generational feminists—^take offense. They feel as though they and multi-class in order to build a more powerful had been fighting for "choice" for the past 30 years and relevant grassroots movement. and that it was insulting to tell them that choice was not inclusive of many women of color, low- How Reproductive Justice Can income, and gay and lesbian Transform the Pro-Choice Movement communities." Some critics There is virtually no city or town where local pro- believe that by expanding to " ' ' choice women are not grappling with how to work a more inclusive definition of Some critics belJeve that by together across fissures of race and class, espe- Reproductive Justice, women expanding to a more inclusive cially white women working with women of color. of color are ^gnaling reduced ^^f^^^ f Reproductive Reproductive justice builds a theoretical bridge support for abortion nghts. ,. r* "«"«»•»«* between these two forces. Despite the growing Nothing could be further from ''"stice, women of color are documentation and analysis of and by women of the truth. Expanding support color and our role in the movement, the central signaling reduced support for for abortion rights can best abortion rights. Nothing could be question now is can women of color come from be done by bringing in new an autonomous space, work collectively together, voices and perspectives to the further from the truth. and move beyond the "turmoil, confusion, and movement and connecting to political struggle" (M. Fried) that characterizes the other social justice issues—a pro-choice movement? Can we avoid replicating process of inclusion, rather than the politics of ex- these tensions among women of color? The forces clusion women of color have experienced. of competition are much stronger than the forces of collaboration in this current funding and politi- Reproductive justice is not an exclusive analy- cal climate. SisterSong is the fifth and longest- sis that only applies to women of color. To achieve lived attempt since the 1980s to build a national broad social change that drives the political and coalition of women of color in the reproductive legal decision making in our country, it must be rights/health/justice movement. inclusive so that the mainstream and the marginal- ized find common ground. This is one of the slow- It is not SisterSong's role to be the only or est processes of social change, but is ultimately even the primary vehicle for mobilizing women of required. This is similar to how the Civil Rights color or transforming the mainstream for that mat- movement required the participation in and ac- ter, but we see a specific role we can play in help- ceptance by white society until the value of racial ing to revitalize and unite the domestic movement. equality became normative. Reproductive justice We organize from the margins to the center, rather draws attention to cultural and socio-economic than from the bottom to the top, to create long- inequalities because everyone does not have equal term changes in ways people think about race, opportunity to participate in society's cultural rights and reproduction. Our work will produce discourses or public policy decisions based on a specific benefit: connecting issues and working cultural and economic values, such as abortion, across social movements because issues that affect midwifery and mothering. the reproductive health of women are large and For example, SisterSong believes that one of varied. Reproductive justice is no universal solu- the key elements driving restrictions on abortion tion, but it is a fresh approach to creating unifying is race-based thinking by opponents influenced and intersectional language with which to build by the white supremacist movement. They are bridges. It is SisterSong's intent to start conversa- visibly agitated about controlling the sexual and tions about reproductive justice in political organi- reproductive behaviors of white youth, with a zations, religious groups and marginal groups. special focus on young women. Their mixed mes- We expect the reproductive justice analysis to sages of abstinence coupled with restrictions on be controversial because it involves new patterns of abortion and access to contraception can lead to thinking. Many people in the pro-choice movement only one outcome: more children by uninformed vol 36 / no 4 of f our backs 18 reproductive justice young people that actually increases birth rates supportive of fertility control vs. those supportive and the transmission of sexual diseases. The of reproductive justice. This may shift the bound- participation of white allies in SisterSong's base aries of the debate from the pro-choice/anti-abor- is not only desired, but required, to achieve the tion divide because SisterSong is modeling how to normative quality in American society we wish gain and keep people who are personally opposed Reproductive Justice to achieve. to abortion in the reproductive justice movement. One of the tensions within the reproductive Significant changes in the pro-choice move- rights community is the uneasy alliance between ment that will provide opportunities for Sister- those who support fertility control for women as a Song will probably be brought about by many means of women's empowerment as their pri- factors that causally affect each other. It is beyond mary goal, and those who support fertility control the scope of this article to detail all of these. It is for women as a means of controlling population equally difficult to predict any one theory or factor growth. Both sectors are, of course, united in their that will change the pro-choice movement. There opposition to those who oppose women's rights is no singular or mono-causal explanation that and family planning, albeit for different reasons. can help SisterSong develop a predictive model SisterSong is hoping for a political realignment of that leads directly from training to transformation. groups in the reproductive rights movement: those Nor is there a magic bullet with which to bring Beginning in 1973 with autonomous organizing by pro-choice movement who We found the answer tiie Roe vi Wade decision, women of color establish- seemed to be more interest- in the global women's women of(X)lor (e.g., the ing their own reproductive ed in popuiation restrictions health movement through National Council of Negro health organizations.