Home»Center on Reproductive Rights and Justice

WELCOME

Welcome to the Center on Reproductive Rights and Justice (CRRJ), the nation’s first multidisciplinary research center dedicated to issues of reproduction and designed to supportpolicy solutions by connecting people and ideas across the academic-advocate divide.  We have been thrilled by the wide-ranging interest and enthusiasm expressed about CRRJ (pronounced “courage”) since its recent launch.  As a lean operation still in its infancy, CRRJ can accept only a fraction of the invitations and offers it receives to collaborate and participate in various endeavors.  At this stage in our development, we must concentrate on building a strong and stable foundation from which to grow.  With that in mind, we have been focusing inward – clarifying our vision, assessing our resources, establishing our systems, and solidifying our existing programs.  Now we are turning our attention outward – building bridges, gathering input, and inviting support.  If you would like to support our efforts as an investor or volunteer, please email us at reprojustice@law.berkeley.edu.  If you would like to stay informed about our progress and pursuits, sign up for our newsletter here.    
     
     

OPPORTUNITIES


Summer and Fall Researchers and Interns

CRRJ is accepting applications for Summer and Fall Researchers and Interns.  We are seeking both professionals and students interested in volunteering or working for credit.  Ideal candidates will be able to spend at least eight (preferably more) hours per week providing research, assistance, and support to multiple, ongoing projects, including:  reading literature and writing annotations for an virtual library; and searching, reading, summarizing, and excerpting cases and articles for a legal textbook. 
Qualifications include:  strong written and oral communication skills, excellent research skills, task management, and self-guidance.  Familiarity with reproductive rights and justice a plus.

Interested applicants are invited to email their resumes, references, and cover letters to Elaine Mui, Center Administrator, at emui@law.berkeley.edu.  Cover letters should indicate availability (dates, days, and hours per week) and explain relevant skills and experiences as they relate to the Center's mission and programs.   Applications will be accepted on a rolling basis. 


DEVELOPMENTS


CRRJ Releases New Issue Brief

The Maximum Family Grant (MFG) rule disqualifies a baby from receiving cash aid through CalWORKs, if he or she is born into a family in which any member is receiving such aid ten months or more before the child's birth.  Some exemptions to the MFG rule condition receipt of benefits on disclosure of sensitive, personal information or on the use of certain forms of long-acting or permanent contraception.  Studies of family caps, like the MFG rule, have been inconclusive in terms of their intended effect on reducing the birthrate among welfare recipients.  While the efficacy of these policies is uncertain, their effect on poor families is undeniable.  Instead of lessening the detrimental impact of poverty on children, as welfare programs are designed to do, family caps deepen poverty by 13% on average and exacerbate its repercussions on children's mental and physical health, as well as their safety and security. 

In this issue brief, Dr. Elena Gutierrez , CRRJ Visiting Researcher, outlines the punitive nature and problematic history of family cap policies, highlights their impact on child poverty and women's reproductive rights and discusses efforts to repeal them. 

To learn more about the roots, results, and repeals of welfare family caps, download the issue brief.