Browse Exhibits (1 total)

Reproductive Rights

community.28041151_compressed.pdf

Since the passing of the Supreme Court decision on Roe V. Wade in 1973, which legalized abortion in the United States, extensive efforts to limit a person's right to choose have been made. On December 1, 2021, the Supreme Court entered discussions on a Mississippi law that bans abortions past 15 weeks of pregnancy—a law that directly opposes the 24-week viability period outlined in Roe V. Wade (de Vogue 2021). The Supreme Court's decision on this case could reverse their opinion on Roe V. Wade and signal the future of reproductive rights throughout the country. While it is unlikely that abortion will be criminalized nationwide, this decision may result in severe restrictions to a person's ability to obtain a legal abortion throughout several states. Should this decision make abortions illegal, it will not limit the number of abortions; rather, it will only increase the number of unsafe abortions. As this landmark resolution is in the works, it is as critical as ever to enter into discussions about reproductive rights and how intersections of race, age, gender, and socioeconomic status may impede access to safe and legal abortions. 

Ever since the creation of the birth control pill and the Women's Liberation Movement of the 1960s to 1980s, feminists have been carving out their own spaces and making their voices heard on issues related to reproductive rights through their use of activism, media, and more. This exhibit explores reproductive rights and reproductive justice movements throughout the decades and worldwide. By exploring these movements in relation to social class, race, health care professionals, education, and the media, we aim to better understand the growth of collective activism within this movement, what avenues and platforms were used to create space, and whose voices were and continue to be left out of the conversation. By archiving this history and analyzing its trends, a large support group of people from the past, present, and future is fostered that enables the exchange of important stories and lessons that can directly impact the future of reproductive rights, health, and justice.