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To commemorate the fortieth anniversary of Roe v. Wade, and to invite conversation about the broader global and American landscapes of reproductive politics, the Frontiers editors convened a roundtable of scholars and activists who have made major contributions to feminist research in the field. Beginning with a question about the legacies of the Roe decision, we also asked our contributors to reflect on other landmarks in the history of struggles for reproductive justice and to share their perspectives on ongoing challenges. Contributors had the opportunity to engage with each other's comments, and some were able to continue the discussion in person at a Frontiers-sponsored roundtable at the National Women's Studies Association's Annual Conference in Oakland, California, in November 2012. The conversation thar appears here is based on the contributors' written comments and was put together in this format by Mytheli Sreenivas.
The year 2013 is the fortieth anniversary of Roe v. Wade. What do you think are the most important legacies of this Supreme Court decision for contemporary women's reproductive issues, both in the United States and globally?
smith: The legacy of the Roe v. Wade decision was to narrow the agenda of reproductive justice to abortion rights. While abortion rights are important, they are only one aspect of a larger reproductive justice agenda. Roe v. Wade framed the right to abortion through the right to privacy rather than through the lens of gender equality. This framework easily lent itself to a more libertarian framework around freedom from government intervention. However, this framework was limited in terms of the responsibility of the government to ensure all have equal access to abortion services. Hence, the Hyde Amendment, which prohibits Medicaid funding for abortion except in cases of rape, incest, or if the life of the mother is endangered, was not deemed inconsistent with Roe v. Wade. Thus, even today mainstream reproductive rights groups do not address issues like dangerous contraceptives in communities of color, repealing the Hyde Amendment, environmental racism as it impacts the reproductive systems of indigenous women and women of color, poverty as it affects womens ability to access reproductive health services, and so on. Reproductive justice has become equated with the right of some women who can afford it to have abortion.
briggs:...