Full Liberation Includes Reproductive Justice

Just established as a federal holiday last year, Juneteenth is a loaded reminder for Black Americans that although we celebrate the 1865 date when news of emancipation finally reached enslaved Black communities in Texas, true liberation includes reproductive justice now. Feminist activist and educator Loretta Ross defines reproductive justice as “the human right to maintain personal bodily autonomy, the right to have children or not have children, and the right to parent those children in safe and sustainable communities.” And yet, in this country, sexual health has always been inextricably linked to systemic oppression for Black women in particular as their enslaved bodies were used without consent or pain management to develop practices that still inform the field of modern gynecology and obstetrics today.

Disparities in quality healthcare with compassionate providers, lack of paid medical leave from work to allow for sufficient recovery time, and limited education and employment opportunities are all contributing factors to the chronic exposure to racism that affects both mental and physical health, known as “biological weathering.” This is especially impactful during the child-rearing years, as the maternal mortality rate for Black women is almost triple than that of white women in the US. Less hands-on postpartum support also contributes to lower rates of breastfeeding in communities of color.  Dawn Godbolt and Alice Powell of Rewire News Group urge, “This Juneteenth, as we remember our Black Independence Day, we must continue to advocate for reproductive justice so that more Black mamas and babies can experience the fullness of liberation.” #juneteenth #blackmaternalhealth #reproductivejustice


Post by Sharon Itkoff Nacache
Original Photo by Max Leveridge via Unsplash