As modern women, we have come across a long path of achieving rights that was a dream for millennia before. Through these struggles, we have encountered a term named “reproductive justice.” But are we fully aware of what it means to have reproductive justice? It is defined by the physical, spiritual, mental, political, economic, and social well-being of both girls and women. Moreover, it primarily means the full achievement and protection of rights for women.  

Definition Of Reproductive Justice

Reproductive justice is generally defined as the full achievement of women’s rights within society. Women of African Descent for Reproductive Justice in 1994 coined the term. Moreover, reproductive justice also means that every woman has the right to make their own choices related to their reproductive life. Similarly, it also includes the notion that every woman has the ability to have proper access to reproductive health services.  

Moreover, reproductive justice also means that every individual has the right to raise their children in safe and healthy environments. Similarly, it doesn’t only cover reproductive rights but also includes social, economic, and political factors that influence a person’s ability to parent with dignity.  

Core Values of Reproductive Justice

There are three core values that govern reproductive justice within the United States. These include: 

• Right to have a child  
• Right to not have a child  
• The Right to parent a child in a safe & healthy environment

The framework of reproductive justice has been noted to move from women’s reproductive rights to social, economic, and health factors that allow a woman to make decisions regarding their ability to have a child or not.  

On the other hand, the term is also known to define the human right to maintain bodily autonomy. This means the decision to have or not have a child. Moreover, it also includes the autonomy to have children in safe and healthy environments.  

Importance of Reproductive Justice

Reproductive justice is a vital aspect of our society’s workings. Women have a right to consider it important in our society.

Ensuring Physical and Emotional Well-Being  

Reproductive justice ensures that women are healthy, both emotionally and physically. Moreover, it also ensures that they have the capacity to make decisions regarding their bodies and sexuality. Women ensure that whatever decision they make regarding their bodies or sexuality is not inferred by governments.

Similarly, it is also important to allow women to have appropriate economic resources. This is for the ability to plan their own families. Moreover, the well-being of a woman depends on equality, self-determination, respect, and support that is provided to them by society.  

Comprehensive Approach to Achieve Reproductive Justice  

Another way we can state that reproductive justice is important is the ways that it can be achieved. This means society as a whole must have an exhaustive approach to achieving the rights of women. This includes the protection of existing legal rights, expansion of reproductive health services in every region, and putting an end to the discrimination that stops women from having control over their bodies.  

Increased Access to Reproductive Care and Health  

Constitutional protections alone don’t have the capability to ensure accessible and affordable reproductive health services to all women. Moreover, in a politically hostile environment like the US, where women from minorities face various disparities and inequalities related to reproductive justice, it is very important to have reproductive justice.  

Higher awareness of reproductive justice will enable women facing inequalities or discrimination to have better access to reproductive care and health. This will enable all women to have a better well-being both physically and mentally.  

Reproductive Empowerment  

Reproductive empowerment and financial status go hand-in-hand. Similarly, you will observe women in poverty often don’t have health insurance or access to proper reproductive services.  

Moreover, in the absence of adequate income and health care, many find it impossible to protect their health. Along with providing for their families. On the other hand, if a woman has been pushed towards an unplanned or forced pregnancy, it increases their financial struggles.  

Trusting Women with Reproductive Decision-Making  

Reproductive justice is important as it allows women to have the power to decide regarding their bodies and sexuality. Doctors, hospitals, and the government stopped forcefully injecting unnecessary treatments into women to improve their productivity.

On the other hand, women also have the right to raise their voices if denied reproductive services that might save their lives. This includes abortions, screening and treatment of breast cancer, cervical cancer, HIV/AIDs, etc.  

Sex Education in Educational Institutions  

Many activists for reproductive justice believe that awareness of reproductive justice begins with schools having a comprehensive system of providing sex education to students. Increased awareness of sex will enable the future generation to have informed decision-making when it comes to reproductive health in the near future. Moreover, sex education will also allow students to have a better say in their ability to practice safe sex and practice autonomy over their bodies.  

Thus, these are the ways reproductive justice is an important aspect of our society.  

Reproductive Justice Movement History 

The history of reproductive justice is primarily based on the liberation movements of women in the US. The early liberation movement was primarily based on gaining freedom from the orthodox notion of the Victorian era’s gender roles. These gender roles primarily constrained women to meet the expectations of motherhood and a homemaker. Moreover, they also had a void of any autonomy separate from their families or husbands.  

In the United States, neither black nor white women have been noted to have autonomy over their bodies. However, Black women can be observed to have more stigmas associated with the usage of contraceptives for maintaining autonomy in their bodies.

Black women have been perceived to be less feminine compared to other races. Moreover, the usage of contraceptives was barred as they were expected to bear more children who would later become slaves.  

If we fast forward the time, we would observe that white and black women in the US have not been able to effectively have bodily autonomy. Even though white women were the most privileged group in the region, they still did not have proper access to reproductive care or health.  

Intersectionality in Reproductive Justice 

While defining the concept of reproductive justice, activists have very often referenced the context of “intersectionality.” This is used for a broader framework for the analysis of various life experiences. This means that individuals are categorized by their identities, like race, class, gender, or sexuality.  

Reproductive justice has been noted to make use of this framework for highlight how individuals tend to face societal oppression in their daily lives. Similarly, this results in an intersectional identity facing higher levels of oppression within their reproductive aspects.  

Moreover, it literally means that individuals who are oppressed more are observed to have lesser access to proper healthcare due to the presence of various factors. A few of these factors include education, income, geographical restrictions, and language barriers, among others.  

Some activists have also stated that the concept and framework of reproductive justice have been created for women belonging to marginal groups to have better access to reproductive care and healthcare.  

Moreover, reproductive justice has also been noted for its ability to encompass elements like reproductive health and reproductive rights. Similarly, making use of intersectional audits to emphasize and address social, economic, and political equalities that affect women’s reproductive health and well-being.  

Controversy of Reproductive Justice 

On the other hand, the founders of the reproductive justice framework have stated it’s a “purposefully controversial” concept that centralizes women of color. Moreover, this is especially for the purpose of pushing against the notion of “dehumanizing status quo of reproductive politics.” Due to this, through centering the needs and leadership of most oppressed individuals rather than the majority, reproductive justice seeks to ensure that all have the right to self-determined reproductive lives.  

Moreover, the concept of reproductive justice aims to address issues that are associated with abortion, contraception, immigration welfare, HIV/AIDS, racism, LGBTQ+ rights, and disabilities that tend to have an effect on one’s reproductive rights. 

Components of Reproductive Justice

There are a variety of components that tend to make up the whole structure of reproductive justice. Here are some of the following discussed below: 

Access to healthcare 

The first element is having access to healthcare. Moreover, women of colored communities tend to face discrimination and inequalities in healthcare. Similarly, reproductive justice aims to create an equal and non-biased ground for all women willing to have access to healthcare to improve their reproductive lives.  

Access to contraception 

Access to contraception is the second element that is associated with the framework. Many marginalized communities do not have access to proper contraception, which diminishes the concept of bodily autonomy. Similarly, reproductive justice aims to create opportunities for individuals to have better access to contraception for better decision-making regarding their reproductive lives.  

Abortion Rights 

Abortion rights is one of the vital components of reproductive justice. Since the Roe v. Wade judgment has been banned, many women have lost the right to go through abortions. Similarly, it has made sure that women are given back their rights to abortion, which is related to the right of not having a child.  

Maternal Health 

This is also a vital component of reproductive justice. Maternal Health aims to provide women with 360-degree solutions of healthcare services related to their pregnancy and post-natal periods.  

LGBTQ+ reproductive rights 

Providing reproductive justice to LGBTQ+ persons is as crucial as compared to cis individuals. Similarly, there are many transgender men, non-binary people, and queers who have a dire need to have access to reproductive health like any other individuals. These include abortions, IVF treatments, and hormone therapy.  

Disability Rights 

Disability rights are also a crucial component associated with the framework. Disabled individuals often have restrictions to conduct bodily autonomy. Moreover, they also face social stigma while willing to indulge in sexual relations. Due to this, reproductive justice aims at providing them with the right to effectively use their bodily autonomy and have proper access to healthcare.  

Challenges to Reproductive Justice 

Reproductive justice tends to face various challenges. As it aims to provide effective rights and freedoms for one’s reproductive life, it is a controversial concept for many. Here are some of the challenges: 

Political Opposition 

Reproductive justice tends to face political opposition due to many reasons. Politically, women tend to face reproductive oppression, which means they are denied their rights to reproductive justice. Roe v Wade’s judgment was reversed that protected women’s reproductive rights. This resulted in women from the US losing their right to abortion.  

Religious Opposition 

Religion plays a major barrier to the effective implementation of reproductive justice. Moreover, there are many religious beliefs that restrict women from having full bodily autonomy in relation to their sexuality or reproduction abilities. Due to this, women from certain religions do not have access to contraception, reproductive treatments, and abortions. 

Systemic Barriers 

Systematic barriers impose a greater restriction on the implementation of reproductive justice. These barriers include legislative abortion restrictions, denial of health care, medical racism, wealth gap, forced sterilization, and lack of accessible information. Thus, such restrictions exist on the proper implementation of reproductive justice.  

Conclusion 

Now, you’ve got a better idea related to the concept of reproductive justice within the United States. The notion aims to provide reproductive rights and freedoms to women coming from marginalized groups. Citizens who don’t have easy access to reproductive healthcare should be given more attention because they’re already facing marginalization. It’s really important for everyone to know about reproductive justice and what it means for us as citizens. Similarly, it is vital that you take matters into your own hands to increase the capacity of spreading reproductive justice throughout the United States.