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Gilliam , Melissa L., Amy Neustadt, and Rivka Gordon. “A Call to Incorporate a Reproductive Justice Agenda into Reproductive Health Clinical Practice and Policy.” Contraception, April 2009.

Annotation

This editorial is a follow-up to a 2008 conference titled “Beyond Choice: Examining Reproductive Justice from Scholarship to Activism,” which involved scholars, clinicians and activists in a discussion of reproductive justice issues. The authors argue that incorporating a reproductive justice framework into health care can enhance provider education, as well as increase access to care and quality of life for those most in need. The authors define this framework as placing reproductive rights into a social framework, which “extends beyond rights and choice to address historical, social and economic factors contributing to the disempowerment of women.” The authors note the historical development of the reproductive justice movement, as well as why it is still relevant today. Specifically in regard to clinical practice, the authors demonstrate that the reproductive justice movement can help address issues such as barriers to contraception, lack of access to infertility treatment, low rates of general reproductive health care, access to abortion, abortion stigma, and sexual violence. They use statistical evidence to demonstrate how these issues particularly impact low-income and women of color. The authors conclude with specific steps – from policies to clinical tools – that can be used to raise awareness, promote education of, and ultimately incorporate a reproductive justice framework into clinical practice.

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About the Author

http://www.uchospitals.edu/physicians/melissa-gilliam.html
http://www.denverfoundation.org/technicalassistance/view_consultant/292
http://prhe.ucsf.edu/prhe/FASTEP_memberprofiles.html

Related Topics

Movement building   Legislation/policy   Assisted reproductive technology   Intersectionality   Abortion   Contraception/birth control   Health care   History   Health disparities