Our October 2023 speakeasy was a Femme gathering with Pamm, a representative from Women’s Health Ghana where we talked reproductive justice.
Speakeasys are Drama Queens’ monthly gatherings where we have honest, objective, kind conversations on a wide range of themes which do not receive objective, fair coverage in traditional media.
The session like many others was fun and interactive yet very insightful. The conversation covered an overview of reproductive justice and different forms of contraception and included many lived experiences with contraceptive and menstrual hygiene products. The conversation reflected the differences in access to reproductive healthcare and the responses many people across the world were having to the multifaceted faces of reproductive justice issues.
Reproductive justice is a term that takes the complete mental, physical, spiritual, political, social and economic wellbeing of women and girls into account based on the complete achievement of safeguarding women’s health rights.
Basically, reproductive rights + social justice.
This concept was brought up by black women in Chicago who felt the unique struggles of women of colour needed to be taken into consideration. The concerns which sparked the movement are universal and even more pertinent in regions such as ours.
Reproductive justice encompasses many factors that can affect a woman’s reproductive choice and decision making ability. Reproductive rights failed to take into account the effect of race, social class, geographic region, age and their intersections on a woman’s access and knowledge of contraception, childcare and education.
Global issues involving reproductive justice.
In the majority of couples, family planning unfortunately remains the responsibility of women. Modern science is yet to deliver a solution for reversible contraception for men.
( Fact check : There have been clinical trials for male hormonal contraceptives to stop sperm production. It is not available for public use.)
In any case women who have sex with men would still have the burden of verifying that their partner was being truthful about being on contraception.
With the downward trend of the economy in most countries, more and more women are putting off starting a family.
Women are looking at the inadequate social services available for mothers, the rising cost of living and are taking decisions based on those.
All over the world reproductive injustices are taking place.People who menstruate in war-torn and impoverished regions have limited (to no) access to clean water and feminine hygiene products.
Young girls in refugee camps in South Sudan face sexual exploitation by aid workers. There have been reports of UN aid workers in a camp in Malakal, South Sudan. The country has been facing civil unrest for over a decade as two military leaders fight for power. Because of the power imbalance, most aid groups ban sexual relationships between aid workers and aid beneficiaries. Despite some women reporting that their relationships were consensual, a number admit that they relied on the money and gifts they received to survive.
Indigenous Women in Canada are in civil litigation with relevant healthcare providers after being coerced into undergoing tubal ligation procedures.
In many of these cases of forced sterility woman are coerced during labor into signing consent forms leaving them unable to have any more children even when they want to.
In Korea, the 4B movement is gaining popularity to the consternation of their government. The radical feminist movement has 4 No’s, as its pillars.
The movement aims to divest from men with No sex, No child rearing, No dating and No marriage as a response to their patriarchal and misogynistic government and socio-cultural situations.
The birth rate in Korea is one of the lowest in the world with 0.78 births per woman. The average age for women giving birth to their first child was 33 last year. About half of the population in Korea see marriage as unessential citing a lack of job opportunities, exorbitant home prices and high private school fees as part of the reasons for their reluctance to give birth.
The Korean government has tried to solve their potential economic catastrophe by giving incentives to parents however these attempts are not enough to assuage the fears and concerns of women in Korea.
For young women brought up in purity culture reproductive justice is maybe even more important. Purity culture is socio-cultural system which values virginity and measures of purity as a standard mainly for women. These are enforced in and by patriarchal societies because it further entrenches the position of men at the top of the social hierarchy.
From a young age, women are taught to put men’s libidos, sexual desires and behaviours first and always above theirs. Purity culture promises women that the only form of sexual satisfaction and liberation is exclusively in marriage. Women are told to abstain from any activity deemed sexually immoral. In order to make sure women toe the line, society employs shame. Shaming women about their sexual desires their expression and actions.
In Korea, the 4B movement is gaining popularity to the consternation of their government. The radical feminist movement has 4 No’s, as its pillars.
The movement aims to divest from men with No sex, No child rearing, No dating and No marriage as a response to their patriarchal and misogynistic government and socio-cultural situations.
The birth rate in Korea is one of the lowest in the world with 0.78 births per woman. The average age for women giving birth to their first child was 33 last year. About half of the population in Korea see marriage as unessential citing a lack of job opportunities, exorbitant home prices and high private school fees as part of the reasons for their reluctance to give birth.
The Korean government has tried to solve their potential economic catastrophe by giving incentives to parents however these attempts are not enough to assuage the fears and concerns of women in Korea.
Reproductive Justice is women choosing when to have sex or if they want to have sex at all. It is not receiving stitches to accomodate their husbands after childbirth.
Young women deserve to be brought up in a culture that is frank about all the many secrets and joys of being a woman.
For queer women and gender non conforming people, the discussion of reproductive justice is heavy and complex.
With numerous countries failing to recognise same sex marriage as well as trans and intersex realities, reproductive health assistance is difficult if not impossible . Queer people should have the option to raise a child just like everyone else
(Further Reading: Is it ethical to bring children into this shitshow of a world?)
LETS TALK ABOUT GHANA
Issues concerning reproductive healthcare in the Global North end up directly affecting us. Changes in foreign policy, reproductive right injustices, civic unrest all affect the quality of reproductive healthcare available and accessible in the glocal south Ghana inclusive.
A lot of reproductive healthcare that is received in Ghana is donor-based. Institutions like USAID and UNFPA contribute a significant portion to Ghana’s reproductive budget. Family planning is relatively affordable in Ghana with most long term contraceptives being covered by the NHIS.
Ghanaian law allows for abortion in cases of Rape, Incest and Defilement of a woman with mental health challenges, If continuation of the pregnancy would risk the life of the woman or threaten her physical or mental health; or if there is a substantial risk the child would suffer from a serious physical abnormality or disease.
This “liberal” law is however not implemented widely.
Attitudes of healthcare workers shape and influence the provision or lack thereof of these services.
Termination of pregnancy on grounds of danger to physical health is a service which should be provided by almost all public and private facilities. However termination of pregnancy on account of medico-social reasons is not readily available.
As a result of poor information dissemination, most people are unaware of their legal right to safe abortions.
Societal stigma plays a major factor in women’s attitudes to seeking safe abortion.
What does reproductive justice look like for the 13-year-old girl in a rural mining community in Ghana?
Small-scale mining has numerous repercussions for the environment resulting in polluted water bodies, food insecurity and mercury poisoning.
The consequences are also gendered. Women and Girls often carry the brunt of all the repercussions, in addition to food insecurity and a disturbance to their economythey also have to deal with further skewed power imbalances in their platonic, filial and romantic relationships.
Women in these communities become the victims of sexual coercion, harassment and abuse, being lured with money, food and resources by the men who enter
their communities to pillage their natural resources.
This results in increased rates of teenage
pregnancy which are erroneously reported
by state media as the result of “loose morals”.
No one calls it what it is, Rape.
13-year-olds cannot consent, 13 year olds who do not have access to food, clean water, menstrual product, healthcare and education cannot be blamed for the actions of adult men.
What is justice for her? It can not be simply giving her a talk on STIs and safe sex which she will need. It involves protecting her communities from predators. Ensuring punitive actions for perpetrators. Furthermore, it’s ensuring she is economically empowered and has access to basic amenities like period products.
In an Ideal world
I can choose to be child free without any stigma. I have access to contraception that is not harmful to me. Likewise, I know that getting pregnant will not adversely affect my career. I have access to affordable and quality health and childcare. Conversations around consent between lovers, coworkers, friends are normal and not rare.
My ideal world may not be achieved in my lifetime but hey I am allowed to dream. In the meantime here are some brilliant organisations working in reproductive justice in Ghana.
Women’s Health Ghana.
Planned Parenthood Association of Ghana Marie Stopes
written by Gabriela Rockson for Drama Queens 2023