Reproductive rights traditionally focus on individual choice—to use contraception, bear children, or have an abortion. Reproductive justice (thanks to Black feminists) considers the personal and community circumstances which make that choice possible, feasible and viable.
For the longest time, white feminists have focused on reproductive rights for individuals—the right to choose whether or when to have children.
While these rights are essential, we stand with Black feminists today who insist that they don’t go far enough. We call for reproductive justice: that, in addition to choice, children and their families and communities must have access to services and safe, nurturing environments. In other words, we consider the personal and community conditions that make choice possible in the first place. Bearing children only to see them murdered by law enforcement, killed by malaria or poisoned by drinking water invalidates the right to choose.
You can learn more about the intersectional and international history of the call for reproductive justice here.
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If you care about child welfare, your feminism has to call for reproductive justice.
