Posts Tagged: reproductive justice
Flint, Michigan: Why Environmental Justice is Reproductive Justice
Michigan has made national news a good bit lately for the water crisis in Flint. For those that are unaware of what is going on, or who haven’t heard much about it, I’ll give a bit of background. In April of 2013, a money-saving decision was made by the state-level officials that Flint residents would no longer receive their water from Detroit, but from a pipeline from Lake Huron. This pipeline would not be completed for a few years, but Detroit cut them off from receiving water a year later. Until the pipeline is complete, the residents have to drink water from the Flint River. Here’s where the situation starts to fall apart. Residents began complaining about the water within a month. Two boil advisories were listed over the course… Read more »
The Feminist’s Guide to Holiday Shopping
It’s that time of the year when we’re making holiday wish lists. Sometimes, we know exactly what we want and can provide our friends and family with a thorough list. Other times, we have no idea what to ask for. If you fall into that second category—or if you have a friend who’s really into reproductive justice and you don’t know what to get them—then this list is for you! So here it is, a list of reproductive justice-related gifts that are perfect for getting or giving! The Repeal Hyde Art Project has great options, from handmade posters to t-shirts. They’re dedicated to raising awareness about how harmful the Hyde Amendment is, as well as creating conversations and making change. The Bitch Media store offers some pretty amazing stuff too,… Read more »
Equal Opportunity for Violence is Never a Feminist Victory
If you were on the internet this week, you probably heard the Pentagon’s self-congratulatory announcement that women will be allowed to serve in all combat positions. According to the old, white cis-men who run the place, the new policy is an unprecedented expansion of women’s rights. But, more women in the military is only a feminist victory if your understanding of feminism comes from the Sheryl Sandberg school of leaning in. Reading the coverage of the Pentagon’s announcement, you’d think that the self-righteous celebration of how great this is for equality would have feminists running to their nearest military recruitment center. Our new slogan: Sign me up! This worldview fits comfortably within the mandates of corporate feminism which contends that the end goal of feminism should be a legion of… Read more »
The Reproductive Justice Case for Taking in Refugees
“Give me your tired, your poor, Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free, The wretched refuse of your teeming shore. Send these, the homeless, tempest-tossed, to me: I lift my lamp beside the golden door.” These words come from a statue given to the United States as a gift from our oldest ally, who just experienced a horrific tragedy. People should stand with France, but people need to be also aware of the tragedies that happened in Beirut and Baghdad and the on-going violent turmoil in Syria. Unfortunately, these attacks that have been claimed by ISIL have further reinforced islamaphobic and xenophobic rhetoric that further threatens the lives of refugees, two-thirds of which are women and children. Saying that refugees have no place in the United States misses a few… Read more »
Let’s Celebrate Long-Acting Reversible Contraceptives for All (on our own terms)
My identity is complex and always shifting; sometimes I revel in the beauty of ambiguity and sometimes I just freak the fuck out Society has a very hard time attending to my own complex personhood, beset by my many contradictions and almost constant uncertainty, especially when it comes to whether or not I’ll have kids. When I tell people I have no future plan to get married, they seem taken aback. But their confusion is soon assuaged by my strong feminist identity. (Oh, she’s one of those women who’ll live with her partner until the economic benefits outweigh whatever moral high road she thinks she’s taking) Is always the subtext. Yet, the assumption of my eventual reproduction is always questioned with the kind of urgency that is so intense it… Read more »
Birth Control’s Journey Through The U.S. Court System
Since today is “Thanks, Birth Control” day, I wanted to take a moment to bring up some of the most influential U.S. Supreme Court (USSC) Cases related to birth control and reproductive healthcare! The first case in our timeline that I’d like to discuss is Griswold v. Connecticut, a USSC case in 1965. This case came about because Connecticut legislation had tried to outlaw contraception which included pressing charges against doctors who distributed birth control. Once this case went to the Supreme Court, the court struck down the states prohibition on the prescription, sale, and use of contraceptives. However, this case was primarily directed towards to married couples. This lead to Eisenstadt v. Baird in 1972. The Supreme Court decided in this case to overturn a Massachusetts law limiting the… Read more »
The Gender Politics of the Looming CSU Strike
Faculty across twenty three California State University campuses voted on Wednesday, November 4, to authorize a strike if negotiations between their Union and the University system breaks down. This means over 20,000 members of the California Faculty Association concluded that if the Union and CSU cannot agree to the recommendations made by an independent fact-finding panel, faculty will go on strike in order to secure the 5% pay raise they’ve demanded. The CFA points to member’s comparatively low salary and the CSU’s increasing reliance on a two-tiered employment system as catalysts for the strike. In order to cut costs, the California Faculty Association argues, the CSU system has increasingly relied on the work of temporary, low-paid lecturers who often work alongside tenure track professors without the same assurance of job… Read more »
Beyond Equal Pay
Earlier this week, California Governor Jerry Brown made two decisions about women in the workplace that, at first glance, seem contradictory at best and incomprehensible at worst. The Governor signed an equal pay for equal work bill which helps ensure that women who do substantially similar work as their male counterparts be paid comparable wages. But, amid the positive press, Brown quietly vetoed a bill that sought to revise workers compensation laws. The bill sought to close loopholes which categorized pregnancy and menopause as legitimate pre-existing conditions in determining employer’s liability. Put simply, the veto was a victory for insurance companies and employers, who can continue to legally reduce the amount of workers compensation Californians are entitled to by law, simply because they live in bodies that experience these natural… Read more »
Amber Rose is Still Not Asking for It with Los Angeles SlutWalk
This past weekend model and artist Amber Rose hosted a SlutWalk in Los Angeles to speak out against slut shaming. There are a few key lessons we can all take from it, especially as members of the reproductive justice movement. But first, a brief history lesson. SlutWalk was established in 2011 after a police officer at a school in Toronto told people they should not “dress like sluts” to avoid getting raped or other forms of sexual harassment. This is problematic for many reasons, but here are two big ones: 1. Everyone has a right to their own body and their own choices. Whether it’s their right to a safe abortion or contraception or simply what they want to wear. There is no reason society should ever police someone’s body… Read more »
They Can’t Hyde It From Us
Today marks the anniversary of a dark day in America’s history. On September 30th, 1976, the Hyde Amendment was passed. If you’re friends on social media with anybody with the slightest interest in reproductive justice, I’m sure you’ll hear about this today, and maybe you already know what it is, but if you’re curious, I’ll answer your questions now. Let’s start with the basics. What is the Hyde Amendment? The Hyde Amendment bans federal funding of abortions, with Medicaid being the primary target. Exceptions are made for rape, incest, and danger to the mother’s life. Well that doesn’t seem so bad. Maybe it’s a budget thing. Hasn’t Medicaid funding been banned for other conditions? Actually, no. Abortion is the “only procedure that has ever been banned from Medicaid.” Can’t people find… Read more »
