Reproductive Justice: Part 1

Color Of Change2022-05-10

10K views|2 years ago

💫 Short Summary

The video discusses the historical exclusion of black women and other marginalized groups in the fight for reproductive rights, and the need for an intersectional approach to reproductive health care. It highlights the term 'reproductive justice' coined by black women in 1994, and the systemic oppression that limits access to reproductive options for these groups. The video also emphasizes the need to address the inequalities impacting women's ability to access reproductive health care and to shift the focus from abortion rights alone to a more comprehensive approach.

✨ Highlights

📊 Transcript

✦

Reproductive rights have historically excluded black women, trans people, and non-binary people.

00:00

Mainstream pro-choice movement focuses on abortion rights alone, ignoring barriers faced by marginalized groups in accessing safe abortions, contraception, and sex education.

Reproductive justice encompasses health services like pre and postnatal care, fibroid screenings, and STI testing, as well as the impact of income, housing, and the criminal justice system on reproductive choices.

Black women coined the term reproductive justice in 1994 to advocate for an intersectional approach to reproductive health care.

The eugenics movement in the 1900s led to the forced sterilization of many women of color, highlighting the historical oppression of black women's reproduction.

✦

Black women have been targets of reproductive oppression since their arrival in the United States, including forced sterilization and being dismissed in healthcare.

01:20

Black women have been targets of reproductive oppression since their arrival in the United States, including forced sterilization and being dismissed in healthcare.

The eugenics movement in the 1900s led to the forced sterilization of many women of color, highlighting the historical oppression of black women's reproduction.

Black maternal mortality rates are the highest of any racial or ethnic group in the US, with many black women reporting being dismissed when complaining about extreme pain.

The effects of these injustices are felt for generations, and current policies like the Hyde Amendment and the family cap further ignore these systemic barriers.

✦

Black women-led organizations have been fighting to keep women of color and trans/non-binary people's voices at the forefront of the reproductive justice movement.

02:42

Black women-led organizations have been fighting to keep women of color and trans/non-binary people's voices at the forefront of the reproductive justice movement.

The focus needs to shift towards addressing the social, political, and economic inequalities that impact women's ability to access reproductive healthcare.

Reproductive justice requires addressing all issues involved, not just the legality of abortion.

Visitors are encouraged to learn more and take action by visiting liberatedbodies.org.

00:00 for years the experiences of black women

00:03 trans people and non-binary people have

00:05 been excluded in the fight for

00:07 reproductive rights

00:09 the mainstream pro-choice movement has

00:11 failed to address that there is no

00:12 choice

00:13 where there is no access

00:16 by focusing on abortion rights alone

00:18 advocacy ignores the barriers

00:20 marginalized folks face when trying to

00:22 access things like

00:24 safe abortions contraception

00:26 and sex education

00:29 in 1994 a group of black women coined

00:31 the term reproductive justice

00:34 when they noticed there was little

00:35 mention of health services like pre and

00:38 postnatal care

00:39 fibroid screenings or sti testing in

00:42 health care reform and little

00:44 understanding of how things like income

00:46 housing and the criminal justice system

00:49 affect black women's reproductive

00:50 choices

00:52 they recognize that the women's rights

00:54 movement dominated and led by middle

00:56 class wealthy white women could not

00:57 represent the needs of women of color

00:59 and other marginalized people and called

01:02 for an intersectional approach to

01:03 reproductive health care

01:06 the argument that abortion is an

01:07 individual decision flattens the problem

01:10 into a binary

01:11 pro-choice versus pro-life

01:13 intersectionality reveals how multiple

01:15 systems of oppression work together and

01:18 limit access to reproductive options for

01:20 black women and other marginalized

01:21 groups

01:23 since our arrival in the united states

01:25 black women have been targets of

01:26 reproductive oppression from being

01:28 worked and bred like animals to being

01:30 forcibly tested on like lab mice our

01:32 bodies have been controlled inhumanly

01:34 for centuries

01:36 in the 1900s a new strain of racism

01:38 emerged called eugenics a pseudo-science

01:41 devoted to proving white racial

01:43 superiority which led to the force

01:45 sterilization of many women of color

01:48 between 1970 and 1980 sterilization

01:51 cases rose from two hundred thousand to

01:53 seven hundred thousand

01:54 teaching hospitals across the south

01:56 routinely performed unnecessary

01:58 hysterectomies on poor black women

02:00 in 1973 minnie lee and mary alice ralph

02:03 were just 12 and 14 years old when they

02:06 were sterilized without consent under a

02:08 federally funded program

02:10 as you can see black women's

02:12 reproduction has historically been

02:14 viewed as negative

02:15 to this day black maternal mortality

02:17 rates are the highest of any racial or

02:19 ethnic group in the country with many

02:21 black women reporting being dismissed

02:23 when complaining about extreme pain

02:27 the effects of these types of injustices

02:29 are felt for generations

02:31 and with bands like the hyde amendment

02:33 and the family cap directly impacting

02:35 people already facing systemic barriers

02:37 to care they continue to be ignored

02:40 the current conversation is focused on

02:42 the stripping of rights afforded under

02:43 roe v wade but for many black and poor

02:46 people around the country these rights

02:48 have never been actualized

02:50 black women led reproductive justice

02:52 organizations like sister song ancient

02:54 song doula services black women's health

02:56 imperative and others have been fighting

02:58 to keep women of color and trans and

03:00 non-binary people's voices at the

03:02 forefront of the movement

03:04 it's time we shift the conversation to

03:06 what needs to change and address the

03:08 social political and economic

03:10 inequalities impacting a woman's ability

03:12 to access reproductive health care

03:15 it's not enough for abortion to remain

03:16 legal

03:17 in order to truly have reproductive

03:19 justice we need to address all the

03:21 issues involved

03:23 to learn more and take action visit

03:26 liberatedbodies.org

03:28[Music]

03:38 you

💫 FAQs about This YouTube Video

1. What is reproductive justice?

Reproductive justice is an intersectional approach to reproductive healthcare that acknowledges the impact of various systems of oppression on marginalized groups' access to reproductive options.

2. How have black women been historically marginalized in the fight for reproductive rights?

Black women have been historically marginalized in the fight for reproductive rights, facing exclusion and oppression in the healthcare system and society at large. Their needs have been overlooked by the mainstream pro-choice movement, which has focused primarily on abortion rights, ignoring the broader barriers to access faced by black women and other marginalized groups.

3. What are some examples of the historical oppression of black women's reproduction mentioned in the video?

The video discusses the historical oppression of black women's reproduction, highlighting examples such as the eugenics movement, which led to the forced sterilization of many women of color, and the dismissive treatment of black women in the healthcare system. The video also mentions how black women's bodies have been controlled inhumanly for centuries, from being worked and bred like animals to being forcibly tested on like lab mice.

4. How are the effects of historical reproductive injustices still being felt today?

The effects of historical reproductive injustices are still being felt today, particularly by black women, with the highest maternal mortality rates and reports of being dismissed when seeking healthcare. The video also mentions contemporary policies like the Hyde Amendment and the family cap, which further ignore the systemic barriers to care faced by black women and other marginalized groups.

5. What is the focus of the reproductive justice movement?

The focus of the reproductive justice movement is to address the social, political, and economic inequalities that impact women's ability to access reproductive healthcare. The movement emphasizes the need to address all issues involved in reproductive care, not just the legality of abortion, and to ensure the voices of women of color and trans/non-binary people are at the forefront.

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