Honored to contribute a poem; check it out, along with all the other contributions too.
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What is Reproductive Justice? I’ve always appreciated SisterSong’s framing:
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. We believe that Reproductive Justice is…
- A human right. RJ is based on the United Nations’ internationally-accepted Universal Declaration of Human Rights, a comprehensive body of law that details the rights of individuals and the responsibilities of government to protect those rights.
- About access, not choice. Mainstream movements have focused on keeping abortion legal as an individual choice. That is necessary, but not enough. Even when abortion is legal, many women of color cannot afford it, or cannot travel hundreds of miles to the nearest clinic. There is no choice where there is no access.
- Not just about abortion. Abortion access is critical, and women of color and other marginalized women also often have difficulty accessing: contraception, comprehensive sex education, STI prevention and care, alternative birth options, adequate prenatal and pregnancy care, domestic violence assistance, adequate wages to support our families, safe homes, and so much more.
BONUS TRACK ONE: Here’s a video performance of the piece I shared in the zine, “Pro-Life in Scare Quotes,” which has gone through a couple of title-changes since I wrote it:
BONUS TRACK TWO: I made a playlist of some other favorite poems on RJ here. As always, I think poems, especially spoken word poem videos, can be great entry points into dialogue around important issues. This list is obviously not 100% comprehensive, but there are some good starting points there, along with some other links and resources.
BONUS TRACK THREE: I’ll be donating my payment from the zine to Our Justice here in MN, and invite others to join me!
