Ipas > Reproductive rights and African-American women

Reproductive rights and African-American women

February 26, 2007

History has shown us that women ’s reproductive freedom is an issue of public health, of civil rights and of human rights.

From forced motherhood to forced sterilizations, the history of black women’s reproductive health and rights in the United States illustrates the terrible potential of denying women their reproductive freedom.

In the United States, abortion rights are often thought to be synonymous with reproductive rights. But would the debate be different if black women’s needs were at the forefront? Have black women’s reproductive rights been ignored by mainstream feminism? In the course of U.S. history, white women have had to fight for their right to choose when to bear children, whereas black women have had to fight for their right to procreate at all. And while white women’s reproductive choices have been limited, black women’s choices have often been eliminated.

During slavery, a black woman’s reproductive capacity was treated as an economic commodity. Slave procreation increased slave owners’ free labor source so black women were turned into baby-making machines. Fertile women were often rewarded by slave owners with more rations and decreased workloads while less fertile women suffered increased abuse and were sold more often.

Then, in the early 20^th century, the model of eugenics, which proposed that human perfection could be achieved through selective breeding, was used as evidence in legalizing the forced sterilizations of black women. Thus, when Margaret Sanger’s birth control movement allied itself with the eugenics movement, black women became suspicious of Sanger’s interests and the gap between white and black women widened.

As late as the 1960s, black women were often coerced into sterilizations with the threat of denied welfare payments. Others were sterilized without their knowledge or consent. Even under the best circumstances, poor women of color continue to suffer a disproportionate lack of access to reproductive-health services.

Given this history, it is little wonder that black women remain suspicious about white-led reproductive-health campaigns and few have allied themselves with pro-choice organizations. The “choice” terminology associated with reproductive health and rights has not been easily embraced by black women, for whom the debate is about much more than the right to make a free choice about abortion. It encompasses issues of access to contraception, prenatal care, infant mortality and adolescent pregnancy. It means having the power to choose not only whether and when to have children, but to have healthy reproductive lives and give birth to healthy children. It is about equality and empowerment.

The contemporary feminist movement should expand its view of reproductive freedom beyond the concept of choice. Protecting our rights to safe legal abortion services is a critical component of a larger struggle for reproductive health and rights for all. History has shown us that women ’s reproductive freedom is not just an issue of choice, but an issue of public health, of civil rights and of human rights.

Black women are three times more likely than white women to die during pregnancy
Black women are almost four times as likely as white women to have an abortion
Twice as many black babies die before their first birthdays

For more information on African-American women's health and rights:

For more information, contact:
Kirsten Sherk
Senior Associate, Media Relations
e-mail: sherkk@ipas.org
phone: 919.960.5612
fax: 919.929.0258