The Thelton E. Henderson Center for Social Justice (Berkeley Law) presents its fall symposium, ReProducing Justice, Nov. 12-13, 2009.
The regulation of bodies, sexualities, and reproduction by the state has traditionally been addressed through a “reproductive rights” lens. In practice, however, the reproductive rights movement, with its emphasis on individual “choice” and rights to specific practices such as abortion, has neglected the needs and demands of people of color, poor people, and those whose bodies are marked as inappropriate or incapable of reproducing or enjoying sexuality. Now, a new generation of lawyers and activists, under the new framework of “reproductive justice,” seek to eradicate the reproductive oppressions that have exploited the bodies, sexualities, and reproduction of our most marginalized individuals and communities for decades.The reproductive justice movement — a movement recognizing that power inequities inherent in our societys institutions, environment, economics and culture affect peoples abilities to exercise self-determination in their reproductive lives — is burgeoning, yet legal scholarship, pedagogy, and advocacy lags behind. We are inviting you to participate in the conference and help us to galvanize a new generation of lawyers and legal scholars who are committed to uniting all those whose reproductive agency is endangered by enforcement of oppressive stereotypes and economic and cultural inequities. The conference will bring activists together with scholars from within law and outside law to address a host of interconnecting social justice and human rights issues that affect peoples bodies, sexuality, and reproduction.
The event is cosponsored by Law Students for Reproductive Justice (Boalt Chapter & National Office), Berkeley Journal of Gender, Law and Justice, Berkeley Law Critical Race Scholars Society, Law Students of African Descent, Women of Color Collective. mw
