Piepmeier, Alison. “The Inadequacy of ‘Choice’: Disability and What’s Wrong with Feminist Framings of Reproduction.” Feminist Studies 39, no. 1 (2013): 159–86. http://quod.lib.umich.edu/f/fs/0499697.0039.109/--inadequacy-of-choice-disability-and-whats-wrong-with?rgn=main;view=fulltext.
Annotation
This article examines the gap between reproductive and disability rights. Alison Piepmeier finds stereotypical narratives, which perpetuate stigma and oppression, in the majority of feminist writings on disability and reproductive justice. She states that feminist narratives regarding abortion and prenatal testing highlight the inadequacies of feminist discourse regarding disability and reproductive choice, and challenges mainstream representations of disabled children and parental experiences as the results of skewed, dehumanizing views of disability. Piepmeier argues that the social construct of disability and the association of grief and tragedy with parenting a disabled child impacts the decision-making process of pregnant women. Instead, she presents collected parenting narratives to reveal decision-making challenges and offer positive perspectives.
The article asserts that the reproductive justice movement should embrace diversity and the complexity of reproductive decision-making. Currently, the author states, reproductive conversations often oversimplify the idea of choice and leave the women without support and information to assist them in making reproductive decisions. The author emphasizes that reproductive justice demands a shift from an individual framework to a collective framework in which women can seek guidance and support.