- Jun 18, 2026
- Posted by:
- Category: Abstract of 7th-icgss
Abstract Book of the 7th International Conference on Gender Studies and Sexuality
Year: 2026
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Beyond Choice: A Comprehensive Review of Reproductive Justice in the US
Sydney Shevat
ABSTRACT:
This paper explores the past, present, and future of the reproductive justice (RJ) movement and framework in the United States (US). Born from Black women activists in the US, RJ is based in Black feminist theory and antiracist frameworks that critique the traditional reproductive rights framework, which emphasizes individual access to abortion and contraception. Instead, RJ promotes a holistic approach that places reproduction within broader systemic struggles against racism, colonialism, environmental injustice, and economic inequality. A synthesis of the literature is crucial because RJ scholarship spans multiple disciplines and methodologies, and bringing these strands together makes visible both the convergences and the gaps that shape the field’s development. Upon reviewing the scholarship, I identified several recurring themes throughout the research, which led me to categorize the scholarship into eight distinct themes. These themes include foundations and theoretical frameworks of RJ, racialized and colonial histories of reproductive control, the role of law in RJ, environmental and ecofeminist perspectives, masculinities and queerness, carceral systems, global reproductive technologies, and public health. The themes were then used as headings for the rest of the paper.
Keywords: Black Feminist Theory; Colonization; Cross-Disciplinary Scholarship; Intersectionality; Reproductive Politics