Abortion Access as Reproductive Justice with Marisa Pizii
The Supreme Court’s recent decision to overturn Roe v. Wade is already disproportionately impacting marginalized groups who struggle to access reproductive healthcare, especially Black birthing people.
In this episode of the Health EquiTEA Podcast, Ijeoma and Jallicia frame the fight for abortion access in the long history of reproductive justice for Black birthing people in America. Black feminists and reproductive justice activists have long fought for the right to abortion as a key element of reproductive justice. From slavery to the Civil Rights Movement and beyond, Black women’s ongoing social and institutional reform and coalition building have laid the groundwork for the present-day fight for legalized abortion.
One organizer who has spent her career advocating for abortion access is Marisa Pizii, the Deputy Director of Programs and Policy at Collective Power for Reproductive Justice and co-chair of the Board of Directors of the Abortion Rights Fund of Western Massachusetts. Marisa, Jallicia, and Ijeoma talk about bodily autonomy, pro-abortion vs. pro-choice language, and how the concept of reproductive justice goes beyond the legal right to abortion and includes the right to have children and to raise them with dignity in safe, healthy, and supportive environments.
Key Episode Moments
00:00:00 — The Impact of Roe v. Wade on Abortion Rights in the United States
00:08:00 — The History of Abortion in Black Birthing People
00:12:00 — Interview with Marisa Pizii
00:16:00 — Pro-Abortion vs. Pro-Choice: The Limitations of Language
00:23:00 — Reproductive Justice and Bodily Autonomy
00:25:00 — The Importance of Local and National Organizing for Reproductive Liberation
00:33:00 — The Future of Pro-Abortion Organizing Work
00:38:00 — Reproductive Justice as Trauma, Healing, and Liberation
Additional Reading, Resources, and References
