Reproductive Oppression at its Core & the Road to Reform
Artifact #4: Black women are disproportionately more likely to die during childbirth and experience severe complications before and after delivery when compared to White women. Babies were also found to be two to three times more likely to die when born to Black mothers. As addressed in the previous artifact, it comes as no surprise that Black women are two times more likely to be incarcerated and serve longer sentences in comparison to their White counterparts. This further supports how Black women are more susceptible to experiencing the harmful effects of reproductive oppression inside and outside carceral walls.
Artifact #5: Race is a major determinant of harsh treatment in the criminal justice system. While detained, incarcerated mothers are denied adequate care and are barred from making decisions about their reproductive health. Many women are shackled to their beds and are separated from their babies less than 24 hours postpartum. This observational artifact describes the brutality of childbirth in the prison.
Artifact #6: In order to bring about reproductive justice, institutional changes that respect and protect the reproductive rights of Black women must occur. With structural racism standing at the forefront of the issue, dismantling cultural foundations will place society in the right direction. This artifact insinuates that institutional accountability can spark a ripple effect of social change, allowing reforms to correlational laws and practices to take shape.
Artifact #7: Actions speak louder than words! In accordance with the tenets of reproductive justice, structural policy changes that ban the use of restraints, comprehensive reproductive care that includes routine checks, and community-based projects that allow for mother-child bonding are some of the many development strategies that can safeguard the maternal health of incarcerated women. It is most important that service providers and personnel are educated and trained to better support Black women inside and outside prison walls as well.
By tackling the root cause of inequity and replacing unjust practices with culturally tailored interventions, health outcomes for Black women can improve significantly throughout every institution. Abolishing the cultural and social construct of racism can help us target reproductive oppression at its core and allow for Black women to fully come to grips with their autonomy and step into the power of making their own decisions.