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Defining #ReproductiveJustice

Apr 22, 2025 | Blog, Reproductive Justice

By our Campaign Coordinator Iris

About Iris

Iris is graduating from the University of Denver in June 2025, earning her BA in Political Science with minors in Critical Race and Ethnic Studies and Leadership Studies. She has a passion for social justice, activism, and community organizing, which she has brought to her work at Athena Project. Since she joined the Athena team two years ago, Iris has focused on expanding the #ReproductiveJustice campaign, which amplifies the voices of artists fighting for reproductive rights.
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The power of art to promote equity, demand justice, and spark transformative change is a force to be reckoned with.

Art credit: Janelle Quibuyen @phatlip

Throughout history, art has played an integral role in protests and social movements, including the Civil Rights Movement, the Anti-War Movement, and the Black Lives Matter Movement, just to name a few. Today, amidst ongoing attacks on reproductive and healthcare rights–from the overturning of Roe v. Wade in 2022, which eliminated the constitutional right to abortion access, to the implementation of anti-LGBTQ+ policies interfering with access to gender-affirming care and bodily autonomy–artists have used their craft to practice resistance, advocating for bodily autonomy and reproductive justice.

At Athena Project, we are working to amplify the voices of artists creating in this multifaceted space of reproductive justice. Just look at our Tuesday shoutouts for #ReproductiveJustice artists on Instagram, Facebook, or LinkedIn (search via hashtag #ReproductiveJustice).

However, not all individuals are affected by Reproductive Justice barriers in the same way.

Even in U.S. states where abortion is legal, additional barriers–which have disproportionate impacts on communities of color, poor communities, people with disabilities, LGBTQ+ folks, and other marginalized groups–mean that people may still struggle to use their rights. Barriers might be based on discrimination, lack of access to health insurance coverage or transportation, abortion deserts, not being able to take time off hourly-paid work, etc. This is why many activists have emphasized that we cannot just fight for choice, or the legal right to abortion and reproductive healthcare; we must also fight for access to these services.

We at Athena use the term intersectionality, coined by Kimberlé Crenshaw, to describe this overlap of various systems of oppression and exclusion. In embodying the goals of the Reproductive Justice Movement, it is essential to center this concept as well as the intersectional identities most affected.

Athena’s Short Definition of #ReproductiveJustice
#ReproductiveJustice means we ensure that ALL humans have the resources and freedom to make informed decisions about their reproductive lives and receive adequate care, regardless of race, gender identity, sexual orientation, economic status, and disability.

Athena’s Detailed Definition of #ReproductiveJustice
Reproductive rights are human rights.

Athena Project understands the concept of #ReproductiveJustice as rooted in the demand for universal reproductive rights for ALL human beings:

  • The right to have a child
  • The right NOT to have a child
  • The right to raise children in safe and healthy environments
  • The right to self-determine any reproductive procedures
  • The right to self-determine one’s gender identity

Athena Project wishes to emphasize that these rights can only be exercised if safe, non-discriminatory access to reproductive services is achieved:

  • Access to comprehensive and inclusive sex education
  • Access to contraception
  • Access to comprehensive, fact-based information regarding all reproductive procedures
  • Access to nondiscriminatory mental health care
  • Access to safe abortions
  • Access to gender-affirming care
  • Access to compassionate, consent-based care for all stages of pregnancy, birthing and postpartum
  • Access to safe and healthy environments for child-raising
  • Access to quality education and a humane and living wage
When using the term #ReproductiveJustice, Athena Project honors the groundbreaking work done in 1994 by the Women of African Descent for Reproductive Justice initiative who first used it to emphasize the importance of social justice in reproductive rights work.
Reproductive Justice Movement Founders

We recognize that people of color, LGBTQ+ communities, poor people, and people with disabilities have historically been disproportionately and systemically deprived of access to such resources. We therefore acknowledge that #ReproductiveJustice can only be achieved at the intersection of social, political, and economic change.

Art credit: Emily Wickus @bloodorangetattoo

If you have a piece of visual art or a personal #ReproductiveJustice story that fits within the above definitions, we encourage you to submit them via our #ReproductiveJustice submission form. We will only ever share your submissions with your consent and within the context of this campaign. We can share anonymously and will never use your words or images for any commercial or data-sharing purposes.

Love seeing our #ReproductiveJustice posts? Make sure you follow along to see new art pieces every Tuesday, like and share them–and be on the lookout for the launch of our expanded campaign in May/June 2025, when we share YOUR Reproductive Justice stories as well as artwork from diverse communities.

Love this campaign? Your DONATION will help us keep it going and expand it further in 2026!