As a 29
year old Hispanic woman and single mother of two children, my daughter is 14
years old and my son is 12 years old, I want to get informed in many subjects to
provide my children with a good education that include the morals and
principles that I believe in. At my current job I have access to many resources
to provide to the families that I work with. A few months ago I received an
email with an invitation for all parents with teenagers to meet up and give
each other ideas on how to have the “sex” talk with our children. This is how I
first got involve with COLOR (Colorado Organization for Latina Opportunity and Reproductive
Rights) and where I first heard about Reproductive Justice. With the
information I have so far, to me Reproductive Justice means to be able to make
decisions and being in control of your own body. However, I want to have a
better understanding on what Reproductive Justice means and what it means to
others. Why Reproductive Justice is so important for minority women? How is
Reproductive Justice different from Reproductive Health or Reproductive Rights?
Can every women exercise those rights? Why women are unable to exercise those
rights?
I
recently attended the National Advocacy Weekend in Washington, D.C. organized
by NLIRH (National Latina Institute for Reproductive Health). Where I met powerful women involve in
different organizations around the United States that fight for Reproductive
Justice. I was able to share my story with them as well as get to know theirs.
I was able to stay connected with them and the work that they are doing via social
network. I am planning on seeking answers to my questions with COLOR, NLIRH, social
network, blogs, and with close friends and families that I am sure they have a
story to tell even if they do not believe so. I am very fortunate to have a
good job to provide to my children, be a home owner where my kids feel safe,
and continue with my education to better my future. However, I know many women
are struggling through many obstacles and they do not have the same opportunities
to succeed in life. I am very passionate about helping people, so I want more information to be able to speak up for those who do not have the same opportunities.
This sounds like an interesting and unique research inquiry. You raise good questions about how Reproductive Justice is different from those other terms that get thrown around in the media.
ReplyDeleteAlong with looking for information from informal sources like social media and blogs, be sure to see what published articles exist on this topic. You might start by searching "reproductive justice" in the library database EBSCO (see info on D2L) and see what comes up. Maybe there are a lot of articles on this issue, but maybe there aren't many at all. I really don't know.