Birth Justice. A Philosophy of Reproduction

The slogan “my body, my choice” (in case the right to safe abortion) has been around for half a century. Yet fertility is still characterised by injustice: the criminalisation of abortion, higher mother and baby mortality rates among people of colour and mounting evidence of boundary-crossing behaviour in pregnancy and birth care. To what extent have we succeeded in realizing the well-known slogan?

In this lecture, Van der Waal traces the expropriation of our wombs genealogically, back to slavery, colonialism and witch hunts. With the help of thinkers like Michel Foucault, Achille Mbembe and Shulamith Firestone, she exposes fertility politics, as well as unrolling a new philosophy of "reproductive justice": a form of liberation that is collective in nature, rather than individualistic.

Speaker
Rodante van der Waal is Philosopher, Midwife and Poet. She has written books like: Baas in eigen buik and Op navelhoogte de kans