Griffin, Christine. “Fear of a Black (and Working-Class) Planet: Young Women and the Racialization of Reproductive Politics.” Feminism & Psychology 2, no. 3 (1992): 491–94. http://fap.sagepub.com/content/2/3/491.full.pdf+html.
Annotation
In this short article, Griffin argues that while heterosexuality is compulsory for young women, the process is racialized, classed, and gendered. She bases her assessment on a study that revealed doctors were more likely to ask working-class African-American and Chicana young women questions about their sexual experiences, contraceptive use, and pregnancy compared to white and middle class peers. She furthers her argument comparing groups who seek abortion care with those who are threatened with sterilization. Griffin takes a disability rights perspective to encapsulate the experiences of women who have disabilities and fetuses with the potential to have disabilities. Her central argument is that women and girls face the pressures of heterosexuality, marriage, and childbearing, but that “such pressures are experienced and negotiated in racialized and class-specific ways which also use notions of ‘normality’ and ‘disability.” (493)
This article may be of use to those interested in disability rights with a focus on women’s reproductive capabilities are policed. Griffin’s writing is advanced, and she moves around a lot, making it a hard read for those who do not have much knowledge of disability rights.