In the 40 years since the passage of Roe v. Wade, the struggle for reproductive justice has evolved and intensified. We must be prepared to deftly confront right-wing attacks and advance reproductive justice for all.
The Roe 40th anniversary edition of Defending Reproductive Justice is the latest update to the activist resource kit series by Political Research Associates (PRA). Since the 1990s, PRA’s activist resource kits (ARKs) have been accessible, essential tools for advocates and academics. Published in April 2013, Defending Reproductive Justice provides a rich historical context for the most recent spate of right-wing attacks on reproductive justice. PRA’s commitment to conducting high-quality research means that the ARK is a reliable resource for those seeking a progressive, fact-based analysis of the Right.
Inside Defending Reproductive Justice you will find step-by-step explanations of right-wing logic, vocabulary and rhetoric and how to progressively deconstruct it. Topics include: the Black genocide and “abortion as Holocaust” positions, the dismantling of rape exemptions and attempts to narrow the definition of rape, and the resurgence of the conscience clause debate as it relates to the Affordable Care Act. Additionally within the ARK is a detailed analysis of the Right’s latest organizing strategies, profiles of emerging antichoice leaders, breakdowns of new legislative challenges, and much more essential information for this generation’s reproductive justice activists to be bold and incisive. Veterans of the reproductive justice struggle and those who are brand-new will develop fresh insights and gain knowledge of the Right in this updated edition.
“Reproductive Justice at Roe’s 40th Anniversary” by Malika Redmond, then PRA’s gender justice researcher and currently Executive Director of Spark for Reproductive Justice Now!, outlines the new generation of right-wing talking points (from religious liberty to Black genocide) and investigates individuals and organizations responsible for their proliferation.
In the materials from past editions, former PRA staff researcher Pam Chamberlain complements Redmond’s analysis in “Polished Lenses and Focused Targets: Defending Reproductive Justice” by identifying the multiple angles and logical strains the Right employs to fight their ideological battle against abortion and contraception access. “Reproducing A system of social control characterized by rigid enforcement of binary sex and gender roles. Learn more : Reproductive Rights Under Siege” by Jean Hardisty, founder and president emerita of PRA, and Chamberlain provides a comprehensive decade-by-decade timeline tracking the evolution An aggravated form of sexism that is a primary motivation for the Right, both as recruitment for and justification of its agenda. Learn more and An ideology that assumes a hierarchy of human worth based on the social construction of racial difference. Racism as an ideology claims superiority of the socially constructed category, White, over other racialized categories based on the false idea that race is a fixed and immutable reality. Learn more within the Right’s antichoice campaign from the 1960s through the late 1990s.
The “Issues and Views” section is designed to support activists confronting on-the-ground debates in organizing for reproductive justice. Right-wing frameworks and derailment tactics are decoded, demystified, and responded to in a cogent way that can be adapted to one’s own political activity. Handy ground rules and tips are outlined to help activists be effective proponents of reproductive justice and successfully counter the right-wing’s organizing strategies, rhetoric, and policy.