Reproductive Justice: An Introduction

Reproductive Justice: A New Vision for the Twenty-First Century

by Loretta J. Ross, Rickie Solinger

Reproductive Justice is a first-of-its-kind primer that provides a comprehensive yet succinct description of the field. Written by two legendary scholar-activists, Reproductive Justice introduces students to an intersectional analysis of race, class, and gender politics. Loretta J. Ross and Rickie Solinger put the lives and lived experience of women of color at the center of the book and use a human rights analysis to show how the discussion around reproductive justice differs significantly from the pro-choice/anti-abortion debates that have long dominated the headlines and mainstream political conflict. Arguing that reproductive justice is a political movement of reproductive rights and social justice, the authors illuminate, for example, the complex web of structural obstacles a low-income, physically disabled woman living in West Texas faces as she contemplates her sexual and reproductive intentions. In a period in which women’s reproductive lives are imperiled, Reproductive Justice provides an essential guide to understanding and mobilizing around women’s human rights in the twenty-first century.   Reproductive A New Vision for the Twenty-First Century publishes works that explore the contours and content of reproductive justice. The series will include primers intended for students and those new to reproductive justice as well as books of original research that will further knowledge and impact society. Learn more at www.ucpress.edu/go/reproductivejustice.

Genres: Feminism, Nonfiction, Social Justice, Politics, Race, Womens, Activism

361 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 2017

About the author

Loretta J. Ross is a Visiting Professor of Practice in the School of Social Transformation at Arizona State University teaching "Reproductive Justice Theory and Practice" and "Race and Culture in the U.S." for the 2018-2019 academic year. Previously, she was a Visiting Professor at Hampshire College in Women's Studies for the 2017-2018 academic year teaching "White Supremacy in the Age of Trump." She was a co-founder and the National Coordinator of the SisterSong Women of Color Reproductive Justice Collective from 2005-2012, a network founded in 1997 of women of color and allied organizations that organize women of color in the reproductive justice movement. She is one of the creators of the term "Reproductive Justice" coined by African American women in 1994 that has transformed reproductive politics in the U.S.

Reviews

[Adrian Chiem · Rating 5 out of 5]

How does one review a manifesto?

All I can be is grateful to learn and to have been radically mothered by this primer of reproductive justice. All I can do is my best to uphold and recognize the rights of my future patients — to have a child, to not have a child, to parent children in safe and healthy environments, to have sexual autonomy and gender freedom. It is my privilege and my duty.

[Heather · Rating 5 out of 5]

It is exactly what it says it is: an introduction to reproductive justice. And in that vein, it's like any intro book: tries to cover as much as possible, but it doesn't give a ton of depth. It's very dense: because they have to cover as much as possible, each page is packed. But you could get many many dissertations out of expounding on the stories and issues in this book.

As a couple sentence intro: Reproductive justice is the larger umbrella over reproductive rights. It entails 1) the right to have a child, 2) the right not to have a child, 3) the right to parent children in healthy, safe, thriving environments. As you can imagine, that means a lot: abortion, adoption, access to quality prenatal care, postnatal care, clean water, the school-to-prison pipeline, fertility treatments, sterilization, the drug war, etc.

This is a very good introduction to reproductive justice, very recommended for anyone interested. Would also make a great book for use in college courses. You have to be ok with density- it is not a breezy read.

[sheila · Rating 5 out of 5]

necessary reading for any feminist

[Saige · Rating 4 out of 5]

I think that the reproductive justice framework is an exceptionally powerful one, and one that is as necessary now as when it was first conceived. Ross and Solinger did a great job at making this text approachable. It includes rigorous academic thought that is put forward in accessible language, which I think is important for an activist text. I do wish it included more examples, though. Some sections made sweeping claims about inequalities, experiences, and material realities for certain women without narrowing the scope to how those things play out in individual lives. The legal examples were particularly effective. I also love how they ended with the voices of activists across the country - Ross and Solinger were careful not just to preach, but also to practice. A great book for anyone interested in equity, women's rights, and reproduction.

[Nitya Budamagunta · Rating 5 out of 5]

MUST READ FOR EVERYONE!

[Eve · Rating 5 out of 5]

Reproductive Justice as a concept has been around since 1994, but I only heard it a few years ago. Since then I've seen several debates about what it means and who should have the right to use it. But that's beside the point -- read this book. The concept takes the rhetoric of "choice" and exposes how narrow it is, how it may work for white women of a certain income, but for lots of folks there's a whole lot more going on than whether they individualistically need or want to terminate a pregnancy. Reproductive justice is much more holistic, taking into account people's varying histories and communities, and all of the factors in place that go into whether someone can have a child, not have a child, and raise children in safety and dignity. It's all connected.

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

Let‘s just say the timing was right to crack this open. A critically informative read removed from a purely pro-life/pro-choice dichotomy, Loretta Ross instead reframes women‘s reproductive rights within a human rights framework, a radical re-contextualization that demands not only reproductive health but a total reworking of all social determinants that plague, especially, poor women of color. Something is not a right if not ALL women have access to it.

[Megan Seely · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book. Anyone interested in women. The body. Politics. History. Reproduction. Justice. Racism. Classism. Movements. Feminism. Read this book! I had the honor of working briefly with Loretta Ross with the 2004 March for Women’s Lives when I was with NOW. Her voice, leadership, and work with SisterSong inspire me to be a better teacher, activist and ally. I know Rickie Solinger’s work academically. Together they have created an amazing work of truth and justice. A must read!

[Yari Aquino · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting and informative. Gives a fantastic picture of reproductive justice and how it ties to every area of our lives. Gave it 3 stars because while some parts were really interesting, there was a lot that felt repetitive from the first few chapters. It was also heavy on the research/stats - some more anecdotal evidence would have been helpful to digest.

[Kimberly · Rating 4 out of 5]

Eye opening!

[Lauren Copeland · Rating 5 out of 5]

I think everyone should read this book ❤️ I had to read it for my class

[Lik · Rating 5 out of 5]

“If we are not seeking justice for our bodies, who are we fighting to protect the land for?”

Made me re-evaluate the pro-choice movement and terminology, how it does not serve black/POC women. The fight must be recentered to justice, to what is deserved.

[Abigail Borland · Rating 2 out of 5]

Can’t say I agree with a lot of what the authors argue, but a very good introduction to the RJ framework. Read this for my “Culture of Birth” case study.

[Ardina · Rating 5 out of 5]

A super informative and comprehensive introduction to the subject of reproductive justice, a coin termed in 1994 by Black women to emphasize the need to intersect reproductive health issues with social justice issues. Reproductive justice goes beyond the pro-life/pro-choice debate to insist that reproductive health is more than just the right to have an abortion and the right to afforable, accessible contraception. To be able to make choices surrounding childbirth and motherhood, people need (and have a right to) access to a living wage, good schools, safe and healthy environments, and high-quality, affordable medical care, as well as relief from other issues that threaten communities, such as police violence, homophobia and gender-based violence, and systemic racism that creates policies to limit and control peoples’ reproductive decisions.

This book was written as an introduction for new audiences. It covers a large swath of issues that RJ seeks to address and it does so in a clear and direct manner. Some of the subsections that presented new issues were brief and clearly served as introductions to list the complexity of the issues and the vast ways they intersect with RJ or are a part of the thesis of RJ. While these sections did not go in depth and felt like more of an outline of topics, they still provided a complex overview of the subject. Even the chapters that did bestow a large number of pages to the topic, such as the history chapter, could clearly be expanded on, each subject within capable of being its own book. Because I sometimes craved more information, I looked to the bibliography and notes sections to find the articles and books it drew from. I’m hoping to dive into some of these texts soon. As an introduction to the topic, however, this book does a phenomenal job.

Another aspect of this book worth noting is that it is academic, almost textbook-like at times, and does not tell a story (though it does draw from the lived experiences of individuals and lists examples of people and cases that have been affected by reproductive injustices). I am fascinated by this subject and did not mind this, but this isn’t a narrative nonfiction.

[Ethan Freckleton · Rating 5 out of 5]

Why does Reproductive Justice Matter? This accessible book goes into the history of the movement, birthed in 1994 by twelve Black women at a pro-choice conference in response to proposed Clinton health reform efforts. Narrow interest groups (white feminism) focus advocacy on abortion access but ignore broader, systemic issues impacting the right to choose—and reproduce and parent—with safety and dignity. Vectors of attack on reproductive rights—and more broadly, human rights—are enumerated, including ideologies of neoliberalism and methods of maintaining population control, with a primary interest of maintaining a “white nation” that can sustain healthy, ongoing profits for the corporate elite. Read this if you want to understand why Roe v. Wade came to be law and came to be dismantled and you now want to know how reproductive justice advocates envision the rights movement going forward.

[Michele · Rating 4 out of 5]

Initially, I really wanted to give this book 5 stars. It has so much important and eye-opening information about the state of reproductive justice in the US and draws connections to so many other social justice issues areas. As someone who has worked in the reproductive health & reproductive rights space, it was really helpful to add a reproductive justice framework to my understanding.

However, there were parts in the final chapter that seemed out of touch with the realities of IVF and that seemed counterintuitive to the basic premise that reproductive justice includes the right to become a parent at the time and through the methods of your choosing.

[Laura · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book! This lays out why the American reproductive system isn’t as fair as mainstream news and history books make it out to be. Loretta Ross passionately tells the history of Black America and women left out of decisions, laws, legal decisions and even protests.

Rickie Solinger has been one of my favorite authors and historians on these issues and her collaboration in writing this book.

This book tells history with a new and broader view than most folks have heard it. I am using this as a text in a course I teach this semester.

I urge you to read it.

[Mikayla Beckman · Rating 4 out of 5]

I ACTUALLY enjoyed this one!! AND I had to read numerous chapters so I don't feel as bad for counting it towards my Goodreads goal. Read a part of this gem for my Gender and Women Studies class and it was soooo nicely written and comprehensive and honestly just really enjoyable. I don't rate books I read for class, but if I were to rate this one I would probably give it 4 stars, which is pretty good considering I rarely give books 5 stars.

Okay I am just gonna rate it.

[Kristen Wnuck · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’ve been reading this book for months (years?) and will keep coming back to it. Such a comprehensive, clear, and accessible introduction to reproductive justice. The authors take some firm stances and at other times acknowledge the complexity and nuance of the issues they cover. This is a great base from which to explore other ideas, groups, and ways to get involved. Everyone should read this book!!

[Molly · Rating 3 out of 5]

I don't know if it's just been a long time since I've read an academic book, but this one was really tough to get through. It's a very important topic, and one I think more people should be educated on, but I feel like I could have gotten most of the relevant info from a shorter academic paper.

[Gibson Lynch · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ross provides a concept that embodies my core moral values. Reproductive Justice inhabits every aspect of daily life. I find myself referring to her work constantly, and have been deeply moved by her self. This is a must-read.

[Mélanie · Rating 5 out of 5]

A must-read! Everyone should be aware of the reproductive justice movement.

[Batty · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this for my Reproductive Justice class and really enjoyed it. I think everyone should read it once.

[Lizzy DiGrande · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book changed my lifeee. Read it for class and feel so knowledgeable on reproductive justice and systemic inequalities. Honestly worth the read.

[JP · Rating 4 out of 5]

Super interesting read!

[McKenna bagan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Forgot to rate when I finished. Learned so much. Grateful for the grassroots organizations that have come before us and continue.

[Ann Herrold · Rating 5 out of 5]

Shout out to COLOR for doing truly revolutionary work. I appreciated the amount of research and consideration that went into this book. Everyone can benefit from reading it

[Isabella Roberts · Rating 4 out of 5]

for class! it was really interesting and depressing as well as empowering.

[Isabelle Paulsen · Rating 4 out of 5]

I don't like nonfiction much but this book taught me a lot and had me considering things I've never thought about. All politicians should be required to read before making laws about womens bodies.

[Cathy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Started this book 06/11/18 ... doing a little research ...
Finished this book on 06/24/18
"Reproductive justice is not difficult to define or remember. It has three primary values: (1) the right NOT to have a child; (2) the right to HAVE a child; and (3) the right to PARENT children in safe and healthy environments.

I highly recommend reading this book, especially in our current environment!