Campaign Action
It’s no secret or coincidence that both abortion rights and the rights of transgender people are under assault from conservative forces across the country.
The political right is determined to deny basic human rights and bodily autonomy to women and transgender and non-binary people. In this year alone, over 300 bills have been introduced in state legislatures to restrict abortion rights. Over 60 anti-LGBTQ+ bills have also been introduced, with nearly half of those directly targeting transgender people. Furthermore, just this month, the Supreme Court heard a case where they’ll be deciding if trans people are constitutionally protected from employment discrimination (and we’ll have to rely on Trump’s judge Gorsuch for the swing vote.)
As we fight to protect abortion rights, we must recognize that cisgender women are not the only people who access abortion care. It is imperative that we ensure trans and non-binary people also have control over their reproductive health—from abortion to STI treatment to fertility services and more. Our answer to this onslaught on our human rights—and how we claim our bodily autonomy—must be reproductive justice.
Reproductive justice is a holistic, comprehensive framework that extends beyond ensuring abortion rights. SisterSong defines reproductive justice as the human right to maintain personal bodily autonomy, have children, not have children, and parent the children we have in safe and sustainable communities. Developed by a gathering of Black women in 1994, reproductive justice is a framework of gender justice that emphasizes particular needs of indigenous women, women of color, and trans people within the movement for reproductive rights.
Reproductive justice recognizes how different systems and identities impact access to reproductive health and rights for ourselves and our families. It demands a holistic focus on a person’s access to the sexual education, healthcare, and economic stability needed to ensure their reproductive freedom. The specific needs of transgender and non-binary people fall directly within this goal.
Transgender and non-binary people face unique challenges to their reproductive freedom. Discrimination in the healthcare system leaves many trans people without the services they need. Nearly 33% of trans people report having negative experiences with healthcare providers related to their gender identity and 8% report being refused care.
Trans men and trans women often lack access to affordable fertility preservation after a medical transition, even if they hope to have biological children in the future. Many trans men and non-binary people are impacted directly by anti-abortion legislation which hinders vital access to contraceptives, abortion care, and prenatal care. Trans people face higher scrutiny from insurance companies on what procedures and treatments are considered “necessary” to their health and well-being, as well as being less likely to have insurance than the general population.
Furthermore, nine states still require trans people to provide proof of specific medical procedures before they can change their official gender markers, procedures that require de facto sterilization. That’s right, nine states require transgender people to be sterilized in order to legally transition.
The principles of reproductive justice allow us to build a more cohesive movement, strengthening our coalitions as we fight to ensure bodily autonomy for everyone. Reproductive justice reinforces the rights of all women and all trans people by pushing our conversation beyond what we must protect and demanding what we deserve.
All women and transgender and non-binary people have the right to control their bodies, protect their health, and choose their reproductive future.