The Irish Family Planning Association and the Women’s Studies Centre, UCD School of Social Justice will host a conference on ‘Building the Reproductive Justice Movement’ on October 16th next at 2pm in the Morrison Hotel.  

The keynote speakers will be Loretta Ross, SisterSong, USA and Dr Ruth Fletcher, Keele University.  A panel discussion chaired by Katherine O’Donnell from UCD will include inputs from Susan McKay from NWCI, Traveller and Disability Activist Rosaleen McDonagh, Senator Ivana Bacik and Aoife Dermody a member of Lash Back. 

There is also a film screening being held in the Lighthouse following the conference. 

If you are new to the term Reproductive Justice you probably are not new to the issues that the policy area/social movement covers. Reproductive Justice emerged from the African American women’s movement recognising that white middle class feminist campaigns solely focussed on abortion and access to abortion. Other women felt that there were issues which had to be included to recognise the needs of all women including the right to have a child, or not have children, healthier communities, safer and environmentally sustainable lives, economic justice etc.  Core to the examination of these issues are class, gender, ethnicity and disability and recognising the role that these play in women’s access to all the issues that concern having children or having control of our bodies.   Building solidarity and a movement that recognises this diversity and reality of women’s lives is as important to reproductive justice as the campaigns for better healthcare, better childcare and economic rights for women.

You can read more about the history of RJ here and watch Loretta Ross, one of the speakers at the seminar give a speech last year on the subject here and here.

Further information on next weeks seminar is available from the IFPA. I’m hoping to attend myself and write more on the issues explored.