The Gender Studies and Intersectionality Club (GSIC) teamed with Students for Systemic Change and SPECTRUM to host three events for Reproductive Justice Awareness week from Monday, Nov. 2 to Friday, Nov. 6 via Zoom. The events were held in response to the Catholic Campus Ministry’s Oct. 6 event, “Make Abortion Illegal Again,” according to Melissa Alvare, Lecturer of Sociology and Faculty Advisor for GSIC.
“[Students] hoped to provide the Monmouth University community opportunities to learn about reproductive justice and to counter any misinformation and stigmatization that may have resulted from the ‘Make Abortion Illegal Again’ event,” said Alvare. “By organizing Reproductive Justice Awareness Week, these students provided a platform for experts speaking from various perspectives to educate our campus community and address reproductive rights as a public health and social justice issue.”
Guest speakers included Monmouth faculty and students, as well as representatives from Planned Parenthood, who facilitated conversations about reproductive rights in America.
Johanna Foster Ph.D., Associate Professor of Sociology, Director of the Sociology Program, and the Helen Bennett McMurray Endowed Chair in Social Ethics, was a guest speaker at the event “The Reproductive Justice Movement in the US.” Foster said that she attended the events “As a supporter of reproductive freedom for all people, a former activist in the abortion rights movement, and a sociologist of gender inequality. Wearing all of those hats, I know that the decision to have a child or not, and to have the resources to protect and care for your children if you do, is at the heart of whether people can live full and free lives.”
Friday’s event, titled, “Reproductive Diversity: A LGBTQ+ and Disability Lens,” featured guest speaker Austin Greitz, Public Affairs Manager of Planned Parenthood Action Fund of New Jersey, an advocate for reproductive and LGBTQ+ rights, and a graduate of Montclair State University’s Gender, Sexuality, and Women’s Studies Program. Greitz spoke about the current status of reproductive rights in New Jersey and the services that Planned Parenthood Action Fund provides such as healthcare, advocacy, and education. He also highlighted New Jersey’s Reproductive Freedom Act, a new piece of legislation introduced in the beginning of October that protects and expands access to reproductive healthcare for all New Jerseyans regardless of gender identity, age, income status, immigration status, etc.
“When people can make decisions that are best for their lives, families thrive and we build communities where each of us can participate with dignity and equality,” said Greitz. “This bill sends a really clear message that New Jersey stands for freedom, compassion, and healthy communities. We’re excited to have introduced this bill and to be the next state that is on this cutting edge of protecting reproductive healthcare services and ensuring that into law.”
The event also featured Bianca Mayes, Associate Director of Health Equity at Planned Parenthood Federation of America and an advocate for health and wellness within the LGBQ+ community, and Lydia X.Z. Brown, the Director of Policy, Advocacy, and External Affairs at the non-profit organization Autistic Woman & Nonbinary Network.
Mayes discussed the intersection between the Black and the LGBTQ+ communities in relation to reproductive rights. She said, “This is an issue that imbeds and engrains the LGBTQ+ community, it’s not just a women’s health issue…It’s time for the community to do a better job at unpacking what obstacles and barriers are particularly in the way whether it’s legislation, agencies, or funding.”
“We specifically worked on Friday night’s event that focused on reproductive healthcare within the LGBTQ+ and disabled communities. We picked speakers that would connect the ways in which LGBTQ+ and disabled people have different experiences with reproductive health and services,” wrote Skylar Rathvon, Vice President of GSIC, and Luka Graves, Treasurer of GSIC, in a statement to The Outlook. “These types of events are crucial to host on college campuses because all students should be able to access accurate information about reproductive health without fear of discrimination.”
Last month, GSIC sent an email to the University community condemning the “Make Abortion Illegal Again” event.
Alvare said, “These students were frustrated that their letter written in response to that event was framed as an attempt to impede free speech, rather than a letter to intended to criticize an event that—by virtue of its title—suggested that women who seek abortion for any reason should be criminalized… I am deeply impressed by the way these students stood up for their beliefs and principles, and by how quickly and effectively they organized this week of informative and inclusive events.”
Lisa Dinella Ph.D., Professor of Psychology, Director of the Gender and Intersectionality Studies Program, and Principal Investigator of the Gender Development Laboratory, praised the dedication of the student leaders who organized the event. She said, “Their passion and dedication to equity is laudable…I found the week’s events to be informative, salient and timely.”
Foster concurred, “I applaud the Gender and Intersectionality Studies Club for organizing the week of awareness that moved the discussion beyond abortion. I look forward to learning more from the club about how the MU community can get involved to support the Reproductive Freedom Act that has just been introduced into the New Jersey State Legislature.”
PHOTO COURTESY of Monmouth University
