What does reproductive justice mean to you?

Reproductive justice for me means a very careful framing of the issues into non "either/or" stances like those currently taken by pro-life/pro-choice folks. I think the dichotomization of this very important topic has detracted from the important progress we could be making.

1) How many pro-life candidates have cut welfare, increased poverty, and consequently raised abortion rates?

2) How many pro-life candidates have extinguished comprehensive sex-ed in favor of abstinance only programs just to see a rise in teen pregnancy & abortion rates?

3) How many pro-choice candidates spend more time working to demonize pro-life folks than addressing major issues that encourage people to become involved in situations leading to increased rates of abortion?

4) How many people from either side are addressing the social reality of both teen pregnancy and abortion, rather than just carrying on an ideological debate on the soap boxes? I dunno. What has reached me as an individual, however, have mostly been ideological tug-o-wars that pull on my emotional heart strings rather than inform me of social circumstances which increase and decrease abortion rates.

I think we could take a good look at some of the countries in Europe and perhaps borrow their frames for reproductive justice.

These are just a few ideas I’ve picked up from other people the last few years. I am relatively unschooled otherwise, outside of what I learned in church and from coffee shop banter.

PS: Perhaps a place to start is by both sides coming together to find common ground on this issue, because I have heard pro-choice folks argue that their stance is about saving lives, and I have heard the same thing from pro-life folks. I do realize that there are more complicated issues between the two groups. However, it takes a first step, and then another...