On September 29, 2017, Kate Bahn convened women economists to discuss the “Economics of Misogyny.” I was asked to be on the “Bodily Autonomy” panel and charged to discuss reproductive justice.
Bodily autonomy is not discussed in economics but aligns closely with some economic thinking, such as Amartya Sen’s capabilities approach. The concept was developed to address the needs of those facing structural barriers to exercising bodily autonomy, particularly women of color, other marginalized women, and transgender people. What are some of the unique challenges in accessing economic opportunity, and how do they interact? Would centering the experiences of women of color change our understanding of this interaction?
My thoughts about bodily autonomy, and governance over my body, were intensified by protests in response to Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization. My rearing, education, and income have privileged me to take bodily autonomy for granted. I am grateful to Kate for challenging me to think about reproductive justice and economics. I am also grateful to Jen Stark for encouraging and shaping how Himaja and I see reproductive justice and rights.
Below are a few of my comments from the event. You can watch it at: https://youtu.be/ulK4bwL5eQU?t=6099.
Marriage and Rape
A paper at the 2004 conference of the International Association for Feminist Economics noted that the question “Who giveth this woman?” during a marriage ceremony indicates women belong to the family. She does not own herself.
Most of us consider this to be symbolic, not literal. My father cannot “give” me because I don’t belong to him. And yet maybe he thought I did. Whenever I came home, he’d always say, “Hey, Rhonda Sharpe,” as if to remind me that “Sharpe” connected me to him.
The American Law Institute’s 1962 Model Penal Code implies that a husband cannot rape his wife because marriage constitutes a blanket consent to sexual intimacy, which can only be revoked by divorce. Several states still have loopholes that prevent marital rape from being a crime.
In Pointer v Pointer (1975), women won the “right” to be sterilized without their husband’s consent.
The opinion states:
”Women have emerged in our law from the status of their husband’s chattels to the position of “frail vessels” and now finally to the recognition that women are individual persons with certain and absolute constitutional rights. Included within those rights is the right to procure an abortion or other operation without her husband’s consent. A natural and logical corollary of those rights is the right to be sterilized without her husband’s consent.”
A wife’s ownership of her body is a relatively new concept.
Reproductive Justice Framework
According to Loretta Ross, the Reproductive Justice framework analyzes how the ability of any woman to determine her own reproductive destiny is linked directly to the conditions in her community – and these conditions are not just a matter of individual choice and access.
Reproductive Justice is often considered advocacy for birth control/ abortions, a very limited and flawed understanding.
Extensions of the tenets proposed by Asian Communities for Reproductive Justice suggest Reproductive Justice broadly addresses:
- the right to have a child and under what conditions
- the right to parent our children with the necessary
- the right not to have a child and options for preventing and ending a pregnancy
Reproductive Justice is the right to exercise bodily autonomy by providing the FREEDOM to choose. Sen suggests that the ability to act freely and choose has intrinsic importance for a person’s well-being.
To understand Reproductive Justice, one must understand intersectionality – we all have multiple identities. I am black, heterosexual, childless, educated, sterilized, etc. This connects back to Sen’s capabilities approach – individuals have different abilities to change resources into value functions. Some of these differences may result from cultural norms and/or public policy, such as women’s work and access to education and reproductive health education.
Unique Challenges
So what are the unique challenges facing women of color in exercising bodily autonomy and accessing economic opportunity, and how do they interact?
I’ll answer using SisterSong’s vision of eliminating reproductive oppression, defined as controlling and exploiting women, girls, and individuals through our bodies, sexuality, labor, and reproduction. Achieving Reproductive Justice requires:
- Economic power/equality
- Social power – think about stereotypes for women of color
- Political power – give women of color a voice and consider that a policy to help women may not benefit women of color
- Manage resources that naturally occur in our communities
Nearly 5 years have passed since the panel. I am still not confident that centering on the experiences of women of color will change our understanding of the interaction of economic, political, or social power. I believe most scholars and policymakers know the consequences of denying women of color power. Disenfranchisement, inequality, and oppression are not new, nor are the consequences.
Our condolences to the families of the 10 Black residents of Buffalo killed on Sunday.
