Why Reproductive Justice Still Matters

Reproductive Justice (RJ) is not a trend. It is a powerful, people-centered framework born from the lived experiences of Black women  who saw the urgent need for a more inclusive and intersectional movement—one that extends beyond the right to abortion or access to healthcare.

At its core, Reproductive Justice asserts three basic rights:

1. The right to have a child

2. The right not to have a child

3. The right to parent children in safe and sustainable communities

But RJ doesn’t stop there. It calls us to examine how racism, poverty, gender oppression, ableism, immigration status, environmental injustice, and countless other structural barriers intersect to shape people’s reproductive lives and choices1, 2.

In 2025, the fight for bodily autonomy is ongoing—and in many ways, intensifying. Across the country, we are witnessing a resurgence of policies that restrict access to reproductive health services, criminalize pregnancy outcomes, and disproportionately harm Black, Indigenous, and other marginalized communities. The overturning of Roe v. Wade was not the beginning of the crisis—it was a continuation of centuries of reproductive control rooted in colonization, slavery, and systemic discrimination.

This is why RJ still matters. This is why RJ will always matter.

Because RJ doesn’t just ask, “Can you access a clinic?” It asks:

• Do you have clean water to drink while you’re pregnant?

• Are you paid fairly so you can care for your children without choosing between food and childcare?

• Do policies protect you from being punished for pregnancy loss?

• Are you safe to raise your children without fear of state violence or family separation?

RJ challenges us to shift from narrow legal wins to long-term cultural and systemic change. It invites all of us—educators, healthcare providers, policymakers, and advocates—to examine how our institutions either uplift or oppress those trying to live and thrive.

RJ Squared believes in centering the most marginalized, understanding the historical harms that brought us here, and actively working to dismantle those systems. This is not just a theory. It is a call to action.

Let’s continue the work—together.

Rebecca & Jasmine

1.Combahee River Collective. (1983). The Combahee River Collective Statement. In B. Smith (Ed.), Home girls: A Black feminist anthology (pp. 264–274). Kitchen Table: Women of Color Press. (Original work published 1977)

2.Collins, P. H. (2000). Black feminist thought: Knowledge, consciousness, and the politics of empowerment (2nd ed.). Routledge.