Sister Song, a leading reproductive justice organization, defines “reproductive justice” as “the reproductive justice framework – the right to have children, not have children, and to parent the children we have in safe and healthy environments -- is based on the human right to make personal decisions about one’s life, and the obligation of government and society to ensure that the conditions are suitable for implementing one’s decisions”

Considering the latest decisions from the Supreme Court regarding buffer zones and abortion clinics and objections to contraceptive coverage, in addition to the generally hostile environment towards women’s health, issues concerning women’s reproductive choice and access in America are clearly under persistent and increasing attack. The following quotes highlight why the fight for women’s health can and must continue.

 

“To be clear, reproductive justice is not a label—it’s a mission. It describes our collective vision: a world where all people have the social, political, and economic power and resources to make healthy decisions about gender, bodies, sexuality, reproduction, and families for themselves and their communities. And it provides an inclusive, intersectional framework for bringing that dream into being. Reproductive justice is visionary, it’s complex, it doesn’t fit neatly on a bumper sticker, and it has a lot to teach us about how to be successful in a changed and changing world.”

— Jessica Gonzalez-Rojas and Kierra Johnson

 

“The birth control pill, to a great degree, made possible the (hetero)sexual revolution. Yet those who developed oral contraceptives did not intend their work to promote what the majority of Americans at the time called ‘promiscuity.’ Doctors generally refused to prescribe the pill to women who were not married; the Supreme Court did not rule this practice unconstitutional until 1972.”

—Beth Bailey

 

“Roe v. Wade’s landmark decision remains essential for protecting women’s equality and self-determination.  But Roe did not go far enough: it didn’t take into account the social, political, and economic conditions, including poverty and racism, that affect women’s lives and decision making; it didn’t guarantee women access to reproductive health services and other resources they need; and it didn’t trust women to make decisions about their childbearing for themselves, their families, and their communities. Forty years later, we must fight for a vision of reproductive justice that goes far beyond the limits of Roe.”

—Dorothy Roberts

 

“If men got pregnant, there would be safe, reliable methods of birth control. They’d be inexpensive too.”
—Anna Quindlen

 

“For most women, including women who want to have children, contraception is not an option; it is a basic health care necessity.”

—Louise Slaughter

 

“If one in three or four American women had an abortion at some time in her life--a common statistical estimate, even in those days of illegality-- then why, WHY should this single surgical procedure be deemed a criminal act?”

—Gloria Steinem

 

“Women deserve better than propaganda and lies to get into panties. Propaganda and lies to get into office, to get out of court, to get out of paying child support. Get the fuck out of our decisions and give us back our voice. Women deserve better; women deserve choice.”

—Sonya Renee Taylor

 

“If the anti-abortion movement took a tenth of the energy they put into noisy theatrics and devoted it to improving the lives of children who have been born into lives of poverty, violence, and neglect, they could make a world shine.”

—Michael Jay Tucker