I value reproductive justice in large part because parenthood will never come easily for me. It can't happen by accident. I value children, and I do not take the opportunity to raise them for granted (in fact, I resent that there are people who have that luxury). It seems unfair to them, to the children themselves, that so many people who desperately want them can't raise them, and so many who have neither the resources nor the inclination to do so are faced with raising them.
Reproductive justice means more than abortion. It means the right to choose how, whether, and when you raise a family. It means better lives for children. It means parents who are more prepared. It means not just the ability to say no, I will not have a child, regardless of how I express my adult relationships. It also means the freedom to say yes, I want to provide a loving home for a child, to foster them into independent adulthood.
Reproductive justice is about repairing the world. It means creating better homes and stronger families. It means children who believe that they are gifts rather than burdens. It means having the choice to begin and sustain a healthy pregnancy, to prevent pregnancy, to terminate a pregnancy, to avoid and treat life-threatening conditions, to raise a child, to know one's partner thoroughly before embarking on the shared adventure that is parenthood, or to know oneself thoroughly before embarking on it alone. Reproductive justice is the creation of a world where everyone is loved, by others and by self. Reproductive justice is a world in which education precludes abortion--abortion, which is an indignity not just for the child, but for the mother. Reproductive justice is dignity. It is the empowerment of women and the education of men. It is the equalization of heteros and homos, single and married, parent and childless, cis and trans. Reproductive justice is justice.
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