Women of Color and the Reproductive Rights Movement

Nelson, Jennifer

doi:10.18574/nyu/9780814759158.001.0001

Cited by 45 publications

(7 citation statements)

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“…A legal right to abortion, for instance, is not meaningful for people without the power and resources to exercise that right. Reproductive Justice scholars have been rightly critical of the mainstream reproductive rights movement, with its focus on abortion (at the expense of other reproductive activities like childbirth and child rearing) and its underdeveloped account of class and economic justice ( Luna and Luker, 2013 ; Nelson, 2003 ). We therefore argue that it is essential to place abortion scholarship within broader contexts to also address the oppressive racial, historical, economic and sexual inequality structures within which rights can be exercised or not ( Gurr, 2011 ).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The geography of abortion: Discourse, spatiality and mobility

Calkin

Freeman

Moore

2022

Progress in Human Geography

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Abortion has historically been ignored in geography. Although bodies and pregnancy have been increasingly studied since the 1990s, a reticence around abortion remains. In recent years, however, this has begun to change. This article critically reviews how geographers and other scholars are now considering abortion and uses three conceptual lenses of discourse, spatiality and mobility to argue that abortion should be a mainstream topic of critical concern for geographers. Through these themes we show that geographical attention to abortion makes questions of space, power, and citizenship visible in new ways and, furthermore, in ways that are only recently possible.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The geography of abortion: Discourse, spatiality and mobility

Calkin

Freeman

Moore

2022

Progress in Human Geography

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“…52,53 The work of activists of color toward reproductive freedom was often left out of the story of the movement and systematically decentered from movement resource allocations. 54,55 In 1994, a group of Black women activists, disillusioned with the US pro-choice movement and inspired by international human rights framings, organized the reproductive justice movement, which centered the reproductive needs of women of color. 56 The reproductive justice movement calls for the right to bear children, to not bear children, and to raise children in safe and sustainable communities, 53 thereby bridging abortion activism with claims about racial and environmental justice, police brutality, and maternal mortality, among other issues.…”

Section: Abortion and R Acementioning

confidence: 99%

Abortion as a sociological case

Kimport,

Weitz

2024

Sociological Forum

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For over a century, abortion has been politically and socially contested, affecting people's lives through personal experience and/or public discourse. In the United States (US), abortion is sometimes exceptional—treated differently from other procedures, professions, and political issues—and sometimes an exemplar—an accessible example of a commonly occurring social, political, or personal phenomenon. It is, in other words, an excellent sociological case study. Yet the sociological literature on abortion is relatively thin. In this essay, we review research on abortion and opportunities for future sociological work in eight areas: gender; race; the body and embodiment; political economy; organizations, occupations, and work; medical sociology; law and society; and social movements. Sociologists have much to contribute to characterizing and understanding abortion, particularly following the 2022 US Supreme Court decision overturning the constitutional right to abortion. The discipline also has much to learn from studying abortion as a case. With its multifaceted social and political status and intersections with key areas of sociological interest, abortion offers a generative case for advancing sociological concepts, subfields, and constructs. While not exhaustive, our review aims to spark interest and inquiry, showcasing how a topic that spurs strong opinions can also catalyze sociological insights.

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“…Since the latter 20 th century, women of color and Indigenous women working within reproductive rights, reproductive justice, and various women's organizations in North America have advocated for the end of coerced and forced sterilization and brought wider attention to reproductive coercion (Nelson, 2003;Ralstin-Lewis, 2005;Silliman et al, 2004;Stote, 2017). Research specific to the Canadian context has focused on historical patterns of coercive sterilization (see, for instance, Dyck, 2013;Dyck & Lux, 2016;Stote, 2012Stote, , 2015.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Indigenous Women’s Resistance of Colonial Policies, Practices, and Reproductive Coercion

et al. 2022

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This analysis of urban Indigenous women’s experiences on the Homeland of the Métis and Treaty One (Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada), Treaty Four (Regina, Saskatchewan, Canada), and Treaty Six (Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada) territories illustrates that Indigenous women have recently experienced coercion when interacting with healthcare and social service providers in various settings. Drawing on analysis of media, study conversations, and policies, this collaborative, action-oriented project with 32 women and Two-Spirit collaborators demonstrated a pattern of healthcare and other service providers subjecting Indigenous women to coercive practices related to tubal ligations, long-term contraceptives, and abortions. We foreground techniques Indigenous women use to assert their rights within contexts of reproductive coercion, including acts of refusal, negotiation, and sharing community knowledge. By recognizing how colonial relations shape Indigenous women’s experiences, decision-makers and service providers can take action to transform institutional cultures so Indigenous women can navigate their reproductive decision-making with safety and dignity.

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Women of Color and the Reproductive Rights Movement

Cited by 45 publications

References 0 publications

The geography of abortion: Discourse, spatiality and mobility

The geography of abortion: Discourse, spatiality and mobility

Abortion as a sociological case

Indigenous Women’s Resistance of Colonial Policies, Practices, and Reproductive Coercion

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