Abstract
Reproductive justice is often used interchangeably with reproductive rights and reproductive health, overshadowing the importance of each movement’s contributions to understanding bodily autonomy. I am a former abortion care worker, now faculty at a Lutheran liberal arts college in an abortion desert. Antiabortion events on campus motivated students to request evidence-based education about reproductive issues, leading me to develop an immersive reproductive justice course. Reproductive justice is a framework that analyzes how systems of power prevent equitable access to and enjoyment of rights and health. The course examined how multifaceted oppressions shape reproductive self-determination and included content about abortion, adoption, childbirth, parenting, sterilization, and other topics. Learning about reproductive justice at a religiously affiliated institution in an abortion desert amplified the relevance of reproductive autonomy for students, exposing the lacuna of information most came to college with. Reflective teaching strategies helped students apply course concepts to their lived experiences.
Recommended Citation
Hann, Lena R.
(2023)
"“How did I not know any of this?” Teaching Reproductive Justice in an Abortion Desert,"
Feminist Pedagogy: Vol. 3:
Iss.
2, Article 2.
Available at:
https://digitalcommons.calpoly.edu/feministpedagogy/vol3/iss2/2