The Paradox of Reproductive Oppression Against Womxn of Color
“You can’t have babies, but you can’t get an abortion.” —
*Womxn: a political term that includes trans and gender non-conforming people who can get pregnant and are threatened by attacks on reproductive freedom.
In a coordinated effort, our country is passing some of the most egregious anti-abortion legislation. 14 states are already working to scrutinize and criminalize the decisions of pregnant women, trans, and gender non-conforming communities.¹
In our analysis of and response to the current political moment, it is important to consider the historical legacy of reproductive oppression in this country. Before the most recent wave of attacks on abortion rights and before the battle over the 1973 Roe v. Wade Supreme Court ruling, the U.S. had always systematically denied women and girls control over our bodies.
The irony of what is happening today is that as the State strips away abortion rights, communities of color have historically also been restricted in their right to reproduce. As a population control strategy, marginalized groups have been sterilized without consent and penalized for reproducing, while at the same time unable to access contraceptives and legal abortions. In other words, “you can’t have babies, but you…
