Reproductive Justice and NAPAWF* Potluck

I went to the first U.S. Social Forum in Atlanta, Georgia over the summer. It was both an exhilarating and frustrating experience, and looking back, I definitely appreciate having been dragged out there by peer pressure. There was once piece of the Forum I couldn't quite comprehend until very recently. During an informal Asian American caucus meeting, I met this woman from the Bay Area, who was working for Asian Communities for Reproductive Justice, and she was telling me about this nail salon workers' rights campaign she was advocating. My initial reaction was, "Oh, cool! Yeah, I know nail salon workers always work overtime, and they need better benefits." It wasn't until half a year later that I linked reproductive justice with nail salon workers' rights at the first National Asian Pacific American Women's Forum Michigan chapter's potluck.

What does reproductive justice mean? When I was in high school, I just thought it mean giving women the rights to abortion, because that's how my 97% liberal high school framed it. It wasn't totally a religious issue, and my feminists friends back then told me that women should be able to make choices for their bodies. It was a challenge to the traditional, patriarchal society. It was about self-determination. What they didn't tell me, and perhaps they didn't know, was that reproductive justice has more than just choosing to make babies or not. Think about it this way: what if you can't reproduce because of external conditions that have affected you biologically? And sure, if abortion wasn't a controversial issue, would every woman have equal access to it, and other necessary post-operative services?

So back to the nail salon issue. I only got half a point during my initial appreciation for the woman's job, that nail salon workers are often overworked. Because of the amount of time they spend at nail salons, they are constantly exposed to chemicals that are hazardous to many women, and it can affect these women's ability to reproduce in the future. Although this wasn't discussed extensively at the first NAPAWF meeting, I was glad to finally have the connection explained to me. I am by no means very knowledgeable in reproductive justice issue, but I was excited to find out that reproductive justice matters beyond the pro-life and pro-choice debate.

cc

p.s. Happy New Year!

*The National Asian Pacific American Women's Forum Michigan Chapter is an emerging chapter that welcomes interested A/PIA women and girls' participation, and it's not restricted to University of Michigan students. If you'd like to be involved, please email napawf07@umich.edu.