March 1st, 2022 President Joe Biden delivered his State of the Union Address. The State of the Union is time for the President to rally the Nation and communicate their priorities while in office. This year’s State of the Union comes six months after Texas’ abortion ban went into effect. President Joe Biden’s speech touched on a number of reproductive justice issues and has some harsh reproductive implications.
Reproductive Justice Under Attack
Reproductive Justice is a framework and movement that includes reproductive rights, human rights and social justice, attacking the ways systems of oppression combine and impact the ability of people to control their reproductive choices. In his speech, he called for funding the police. There is no reproductive justice without the end of police violence. Increasing their budgets increases their power and control over the lives of already over-policed communities. A tenet of reproductive justice is being able to parent children in healthy and safe environments. Our communities experience high numbers of police/state-sanctioned violence, this is in direct conflict with one of the main tenets of Reproductive Justice.
Policing and Reproductive Justice
Since the summer of 2020, law enforcement has continued to harm Black people at disproportionate rates. Studies also indicate that there is an 83% increase in the chances of preterm birth in neighborhoods with high levels of police contact and activity. Reproductive Justice involves more than just abortion access, it also includes birthing justice, economic justice, and other moving pieces. President Joe Biden plans to cut the cost of child care, promising to cut the cost in half for most families. The plan also includes home and long-term care. These are important pieces that will help families cut back on costs but there are still other forces that are harming our communities.
Addressing Abortion Access
President Biden addressed the attacks on women’s rights, but he didn’t say the word abortion. In today’s time, we cannot be lukewarm about where we stand on abortion. For six months there has been a ban on abortion in Texas with states all over the country ramping up their attacks on abortion rights. Stigmatization continues to prevent people from being able to have open and honest discussions about abortion access. By not mentioning abortion, President Biden is contributing to the stigma around abortion. President Joe Biden also failed to mention the Women’s Health Protection Act, which failed in the Senate and only vaguely referenced abortion. Healthcare is a human right and abortion access is included in that right.
If our administration can’t confidently talk about abortion access, how can we be sure that they understand the implications of abortion and other policies related to reproductive justice-- racial inequities, economic injustices, and the role that police play in this system. Police violence robs families of their members and is very much a reproductive justice issue. There needs to be more than words and recycled talking points. The White House should be addressing the specifics of how a number of restrictions are standing in the way of obtaining actual Reproductive Justice. The state of Black people in America right now is as bad as it’s ever been. The Build Back Better Plan appears to be dead, other attempts at ensuring bodily autonomy and protecting reproductive liberties continue to die.
A Step Forward. A Long Path to Walk
At SisterLove we appreciate the President’s support of Reproductive Justice, but we need more. Reproductive Justice and its work means calling for an end to police violence and being willing to say abortion out loud. While President Biden has taken some steps towards protecting reproductive rights for all, he has not gone far enough. The COVID-19 pandemic, along with long-standing systemic racism, has placed Black women, femmes, and gender-expansive individuals in the middle of multiple co-occurring battles for reproductive justice. These groups experience health inequities, unemployment, and race-gender wage gaps that impact their ability to live. Policy solutions must be grounded in an awareness of the expansiveness of both racism and gender oppression’s reach. We at SisterLove will continue to implore President Biden to take a stand and defend the reproductive rights of all Americans.
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