Reproductive Justice 101

Reproductive justice is distinctly different from the reproductive rights movement. Reproductive rights groups advocate for a woman’s right to choose. Reproductive justice recognizes that a person’s ability to make those reproductive decisions is limited by economic, logistical and sociocultural factors.

Disillusioned by the mainstream white feminist movement’s ignorance of the barriers Black women face when trying to obtain reproductive resources, a group of Black women from the Illinois Pro-Choice Alliance coined the term “reproductive justice” in 1994.

They laid out their mission with three core principles in mind:

○ The right to have children,

○ The right to not have children,

○ And the right to care for the children you have in a safe and healthy environment.

The reproductive justice movement emphasizes that these rights mean nothing without access to services that allow people to make informed, dignified decisions. The legal right to have an abortion means nothing if you can’t afford it. The right to choose a birth control method that works for you means nothing if your insurance or employer can make that decision for you.

And abolition of carceral systems is central to reproductive justice. It is impossible for BIPOC to raise their children in safe environments under the constant threat of police brutality. It is impossible for people who are undocumented to exercise their reproductive autonomy when they are locked up indefinitely in ICE facilities and forcibly sterilized.

Reproductive justice is inextricably intertwined with the fight for racial justice, disability rights, universal healthcare, immigration reform, LGBTQ2+ issues, environmental justice, and the autonomy of Indigenous peoples.

Some of the movement’s priorities include repealing the Hyde Act, securing free childcare and implementing a healthcare system that covers comprehensive reproductive care. But this is just a glimpse at the world reproductive justice advocates are dreaming of. Reproductive justice is one part of an ultimate vision where people are more important than profits and their care is more important than corporate profits.

Reproductive justice, realized, means that everyone has total autonomy over their own bodies and futures. Is that really so much to ask?