reproductive justice

SisterSong defines reproductive justice as “the human right to maintain personal bodily autonomy, have children, not have children, and parent the children we have in safe and sustainable communities.” Coined in 1994 by a group of Black women, the term was a response to a felt inability of the mainstream reproductive rights movement to address and advocate for the needs of Black, Indigenous, and people of color (BIPOC), trans people, and others historically marginalized. Rooted in a social justice and intersectional framework, the reproductive justice movement centers on those most marginalized, emphasizes that there is no choice without access, and addresses intersecting oppressions like race, class, gender identity, immigration status, disability, location and more that impact a person's experience. Reproductive justice is not a synonym for reproductive rights, nor does it mean abortions for people of color; reproductive justice organizations do not have to be led by people of color. Be careful to distinguish between the reproductive justice and reproductive rights when writing about reproductive activism. See also abortion, fetus, pro-choice, pro-life, reproductive rights.