Sexualities and Migrations in the Context of Global Justice

The 2023 SWS Winter Meeting Registration Form will close on January 2, 2023.

SWS Members, Register today!

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Deadline for Hotel Reservations Extended to December 21, 2022 – Book Today!

Winter Meeting 2023

On November 16, 2022, SWS Council voted to endorse the National Women’s Studies Association’s statement below:

NWSA Stands in Solidarity with Iranian Protestors
we fight because we must
we rise up because there is no other path to freedom
except straight through the road of resistance
built by the hands of our oppressors

https://mailchi.mp/nwsa/nwsa-stands-in-solidarity-with-iranian-protestors

The National Women’s Studies Association (NWSA) is more than just an academic association. We are activists. We are freedom fighters. We are feminists. We are scholars. We understand that there are times when we must speak up because our silence will never protect us, and if we are not careful, our silence will always appear to be a sign of silent approval. We have never chosen and will never choose to stand with our oppressors. We are on the side of justice. We are on the side of liberation. And we stand on the side of oppressed people fighting to be free.

We have been watching what has been happening in Iran since September 16, when Mahsa Amini, a 22-year-old Iranian woman, was arrested in Tehran by the Morality Police for “improperly” wearing her hajib. Amini was placed in detention, where she was beaten into a coma and later died. Since then, protests of solidarity have erupted all over the world, from Istanbul to Los Angeles. These are the moments—while the Iranian rallying cry “Women, Life, Freedom” is being heard worldwide and Iranian women and girls are cutting their hair and burning their hijabs in protest—when we must speak out. We add our voices to the collective, and we strongly condemn the detention and death of Mahsa Amini. We support the women and people of Iran as they work to resist and overturn the ongoing effort by the Morality Police to suppress Iranian women’s right to freedom of expression and opinion. We support self-determination and stand by a woman’s right to choose whether or not they want to veil. We also condemn the violence committed by the Iranian government against peaceful protestors that have resulted in injury, detention of more than 1000 protesters, and the deaths of at least 41 people. Furthermore, we condemn the Iranian government’s intentional suppression of information by shutting down mobile internet access, which is the most severe internet restriction Iran has implemented since 2019.

Additionally, we are compelled to add that as we are watching what is happening in Iran, we are also aware of what is happening right here in America on college campuses, in community centers, and in public and private spaces as politicians across the country are taking draconian steps to control our reproductive rights. We demand that they remove their hands from our wombs and their laws from our bodies. Women are not second-class citizens; despite what oppressive governments would like us to believe, and we do not accept second-class treatment.

We are now at the moment when everyone is being called upon to do something. The world is watching and will remember where we stood, who we stood with, and when we chose to speak up and out. At the same time, we want to remind our members that this is the moment to support but not appropriate the actions of Iranian women and girls for clout or likes or follows. Our goal is to stand with or behind them and not try to move in front of them.

NWSA understands that it is not enough for us to have discussions amongst ourselves within the protective silos of the Academy. We must speak out into the wind with a loud collective voice and say that Solidarity with Iranian Women is a Feminist Issue. We must stand together and add our voice to the collective call for peace, for justice, and for freedom.

Bending toward Social Justice,

Karsonya Wise Whitehead, NWSA President (2021-2023)
Beverly Guy Sheftall, NWSA President (2008-2010)
The National Women’s Studies Association (NWSA)

******

We add here the link to the protest song that’s been galvanizing the unrest. The singer, Shervin Hajipour, was arrested several days ago. In the song, Shervin notes that people are protesting:

For my sister, your sister, our sisters
For embarrassed fathers with empty hands 
For the sigh over an ordinary life
For the child laborer and his dreams 
For this dictatorial economy
For this polluted air
For all those unstoppable tears
For missing the murdered kids 
For the smiling faces
For the students and their future 
For all the smart ones in prison
For the Afghan kids 
For all the meaningless slogans
For the feeling of peace
For the sunrise after the long dark nights 
For the girl who wished she was born a boy
…For Woman, Life, Freedom

******

For more information about what is happening in Iran (this is not an exhaustive list):

https://iranhumanrights.org/ 
https://www.en-hrana.org/

******

The open “Call for Transnational Feminist Solidarity With Iranian Protests” shared the following statements from both inside and outside of Iran:

A collective of Iranian feminists  
The Iranian Sociological Association
The Iranian Sociological Association
The International Sociological Association
Academics across the globe
The Association for Iranian Studies

SWS 2023 Winter Meeting

COVID-19, Airborne Communicable Disease, and Influenza Health and Safety Protocols

Posted on November 18, 2022

SWS is carefully monitoring recommendations from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and others regarding the COVID-19, Airborne Communicable Disease and Influenza situation as we plan for the 2023 SWS Winter Meeting in New Orleans, Louisiana. Meeting attendees will be required to follow all health and safety protocols mandated at the time of the meeting. We are dedicated to ensuring our attendees have a healthy and safe meeting experience. Based on current information, we are implementing the following protocols:

1. Vaccinations are a mandated requirement for participation in the 2023 SWS Winter Meeting. We are collecting proof of vaccination from our attendees in our 2023 Winter Meeting Registration form.
2. COVID-19 Vaccine Booster Shots are highly recommended in accordance with CDC Guidelines. We recommend that you have at least one booster shot before attending the 2023 SWS Winter Meeting.
3. Exemption requests can be sent to barretkatuna@outlook.com to be reviewed. If approved, proof of a negative COVID-19 test result within 72 hours prior to arrival to New Orleans, LA will be required for non-vaccinated attendees.
4. International travelers must follow CDC Travel Guidelines.
5. Masks are not a requirement for participation in our programming and are optional. We ask that you respect participants’ decision to wear a mask or not wear a mask.
6. Hand sanitizing stations will be set up throughout the event spaces. And we ask that attendees follow thorough hand washing CDC recommendations.
7. Childcare services and lactation rooms will follow similar health and safety policies.
8. Meeting attendees are asked to sign a COVID-19 waiver that will be part of the 2023 SWS Winter Meeting Registration form.

We will all play a role in keeping our meeting as safe as possible, so we expect attendees to be responsible and caring, including when leaving the hotel. If adjustments must be made due to changes reported by the CDC, we will communicate them promptly.

Please share any questions with SWS Executive Officer, Barret Katuna, at swseo.barretkatuna@outlook.com.

These items will be on the 2023 Winter Meeting Registration form:

• I will take personal responsibility to prevent the further spread of COVID-19 through vaccination, if I am able to be vaccinated, and by ensuring that I am healthy and not presenting any symptoms for COVID-19, other airborne communicable disease or influenza such as the flu.

• I will show respect to the other attendees of the 2023 Winter Meeting by ensuring that I am not showing symptoms for any communicable disease or influenza, and I will respect the decision of attendees who may choose to or who may not choose to wear a facial mask and maintain physical distance.

Congratulations! The official terms of the officers below will begin during the SWS 2023 Winter Meeting in New Orleans, Louisiana from January 12-15, 2023.

President-Elect – S. Crawley 

Vice President – Veronica Montes

Treasurer-Elect – Tracy Ore

Student Representative-Elect –  Pedrom Nasiri

  The above 4 individuals will join SWS Council.

Career Development Committee Co-Chair – Sharla Alegria

Committee on Discrimination Co-Chairs – Beatriz Padilla and Marisela Martinez-Cola (Marisela to serve one more year)

Sister to Sister Committee Co-Chair – LaToya Council

Social Action Committee Co-Chair – Evonnia Woods

Membership Committee Members: Trenton Haltom and Anne McGlynn-Wright

Nominations Committee Members – Sasha Drummond-Lewis and Amy Stone

Publications Committee Members: Marlese Durr and Laurel Westbrook

Once again, thank you all SWS Members who participated in the 2022 SWS Election and congratulations to our newly elected officers! Thank you to all who ran for office and to the Nominations Committee Members that included Mignon R. Moore (Chair), Tristan Bridges, Ranita Ray, Jaime Hartless, and Baker A. Rogers for all their work in putting together such a wonderful group of candidates for elected office.

Message from SWS Council

In Response to SWS 2023 Winter Meeting Location

On June 16, 2022, SWS engaged in a contract with the Sheraton New Orleans in Louisiana for the 2023 Winter Meeting to take place from January 12-15, 2023.  Co-Presidents-Elect, Mary Osirim and Melanie Heath, were excited to announce New Orleans as the site for our 2023 Winter Meeting, as its rich history and culture will provide our members with the opportunity to explore the issues of racial inequalities, migrations, and sexualities in a city that exemplifies these complex dynamics. Please see the Spring 2022 issue of Network News and the Call for Submissions to learn more about the meeting theme.

As of June 28, 2022, with the Supreme Court’s reversal of Roe v. Wade, abortion became illegal in the State of Louisiana. SWS Council realizes that having an SWS Meeting in a space where reproductive rights are non-existent contradicts our core feminist mission. As Council, we have discussed this issue in length and while this situation is dire, we still see this as an opportunity that is in line with our feminist mission to promote social justice by supporting scholar-activist communities seeking to dismantle intersecting systems of oppression. (Please refer to the SWS Call to Action for more information on the SWS response). Thus, we feel it is important to keep New Orleans as the site of our conference because it allows us to work with local organizations and activists to ensure that all feminist voices are being heard in protest of this draconian and egregious decision in the State of Louisiana. Because we recognize that it will be challenging to be in this space, we will be circulating guidance for members most impacted.   
California State Employees: Please stay tuned for general guidance on attending the conference in light of the recently revised (June 30, 2022) California State Travel Ban for state-sponsored travel.

SUBMIT TODAY, Deadline to Submit is September 25, 2022 at 11:59 pm EDT

https://sws.memberclicks.net/2023wmsubmission

Note that you must be a Current SWS Member to submit for the 2023 Winter Meeting

Also, please note that we are only accepting submissions for in-person participation.

We will have opportunities later in 2023 for virtual engagement independent of the 2023 Winter Meeting.

Program Committee Members: Ophra Leyser-Whalen (Chair,) Pallavi Banerjee, Paulina García-Del Moral, Alexis Grant-Panting, Fumilayo Showers, Amy StoneLocal Arrangements Committee Members: Andrea S. (Drea) Boyles (Chair,) Lisa Wade, D’Lane Compton, Annie McGlynn-Wright

Sheraton New Orleans
We have secured a rate of $179 per night (plus applicable state and local taxes).
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Sexualities and Migrations in the Context of Global Justice

Thursday, January 12 – Sunday, January 15, 2023
New Orleans, LA

Hotel Room Reservation System

Theme and Call for Papers: The 2023 Winter Meeting will spotlight the theme of sexualities and migrations governed by global injustices. It will consider how movements between the Global South and North shape sexual identities in ways that do not necessarily depend on Western conceptions of the self but instead create a multiplicity of subjectivities. The intersections of migration, sexuality, and social justice in the context of globalizing processes necessitates challenging forms of knowledge and practices based on hierarchies of power that facilitate dominant Western discourses and neo-liberalism to assume universality. Likewise, nationality intersects with sexuality to create national norms that empower some political actors to marginalize migrant, racial, and sexual others. As SWS’s Call to Action articulates, the recent U.S. Supreme Court decision overturning the federal right to abortion also highlights the importance of bringing a reproductive justice framework to consider the collective dimension of reproductive matters. We must attend to forms of gender-based violence; sexual, racial, and ethnic hierarchies; immigration status; economic precarities; and religious norms in the criminalizing of abortion. Our theme pays particular attention to women and gender minorities of color from the Global South and the Global North.

Important questions to be addressed include: To what extent is sexual identity a push factor leading to migration from one’s home nation? How might sexual practices vary with migration? How has migration shaped sexualities and gender identities?  How can we understand the stigmas about sexual behavior for those coming to North America from nations with high rates of HIV/AIDS, such as Southern Africa and Haiti? How do we understand the development of the global sex industry and those engaged as voluntary sex workers as well as those who are trafficked? What do recent wars reveal about sexual assault and displacement of individuals? What are the issues of global reproductive justice that we are currently facing? To begin to answer these questions, a focus on intersectional identities is crucial. Those who experience minoritized statuses based on their race, ethnicity, sexuality, age, gender identity, social class, disability, and religion, as well as other identities, will experience migration differently than those from the mainstream/majority populations.

We are accepting proposals based on the theme of Sexualities and Migrations in the Context of Global Injustice:

-Individual Papers for Panel Consideration

-Panels

-Workshops

-Book Salons (preference of books published in 2021 and 2022)

-Roundtables

-Poster Sessions

-Open format:

• Photo essays
• Poetry, theatre, scripts
• Art
• Film/documentaries
• Media and Literary Criticisms
• Other

We welcome expressions of interest to serve as a Moderator as well.

ORGANIZATIONAL INTERSECTIONAL DIVERSITY, INCLUSIVITY, AND EQUITY ASSESSMENT

Request for Proposals, Released on July 29, 2022

Summer 2022

Sociologists for Women in Society (SWS) invites interested and qualified consultants or firms to submit a proposal to conduct an organization-wide intersectional diversity, inclusivity, and equity assessment on race, ethnicity, nationality, gender, sexuality, age, socioeconomic status, and bodily abilities and to develop an implementation plan to enhance (or improve) our diversity, inclusivity and equity. SWS is committed to diversity, inclusivity, and equity throughout organizational policies, program, processes, systems, communications, and community partnerships, evidenced in our mission statement. We seek guidance on how we can best practice the ideals we aspire to embody.

Organizational Overview: SWS is a feminist professional organization dedicated to transforming the academy and professional organizations, including our own, by actively supporting feminist leadership and advancing career development of feminist scholars. The organization was founded in 1971 by a group of academic feminist scholars who had the prescient belief that feminist sociologists needed a “professional home” to promote and solidify the leadership and scholarship of academic women within the profession. The founding of SWS was influenced by the women’s movement of that time, and thus focused on elevating women scholars. As a nonprofit organization, SWS provided a home to women scholars, many of whom were marginalized within their departments and within the broader sociological landscape. Members grew great strength from the scholarly and emotional support of their SWS colleagues.

Over time, SWS has become more explicit in its intersectional framing of its mission and goals, and has more deliberately welcomed, honored, and supported the diversity of its membership. Through this time, there have been several strategic planning processes, with several objectives: supporting members to find ways to better combine our activist and academic lives, increasing the size and diversity of the membership, encouraging more active participation by members, and promoting social justice in and outside of the academy.

Despite these strategic planning initiatives, to our knowledge, there has never been a formal assessment of the organization’s progress in achieving diversity, equity, and inclusion within its leadership structure, opportunities provided to members, or efforts to support members to bring a diversity, equity, and inclusion framework in their work both in academia as well as in applied settings.

SWS  is eager to identify the strengths and challenges we face regarding the extent to which we have implemented our goal of intersectional diversity, inclusivity, and equity based on race, ethnicity, nationality, gender, sexuality, socioeconomic status, and bodily abilities. We invite individuals and/or organizations to propose a design for this endeavor that will provide an organizational-wide assessment of where we are, where we want to be, and to develop strategies to get there. This deliverable should be detailed in its analysis and should offer perspective from members at all levels of the organization to consider the progress that SWS has made in achieving its goals of equity and inclusion, with a focus on areas for improvement.

Scope and Deliverables: The consultant will be tasked with laying the foundation and framework for long-term change in all SWS programming and leadership through the following work:

• Intersectional Diversity, Inclusivity, and Equity Assessment: Conduct an assessment to capture the organizational climate as it relates to the goal of centering all forms of oppression. The assessment should engage key stakeholders (both internal and external, former and current) to the organization, such as Council      Members, Committee Chairs and Elected Committee Members, New Members, Continuing Members, Lifetime Members and Community Partners (such as leaders of other non-profit organizations and meeting guests). Specific elements of the assessment shall include, but not be limited to:
  • Organizational culture and structure
  • Organizational policy, procedures, and decision making
  • Programmatic planning and approaches
  • Community partnerships
  • Membership Relations and Opportunities for Involvement
• Implementation Plan: Based on the assessment results, the consultant will create a summary report and an intersectional diversity, inclusivity, and equity     work plan that captures desired processes and outcomes. The work plan will include recommendations for incorporating action steps, timelines, quantitative and qualitative goals to improve operational and programmatic approaches to promote diversity, inclusivity, and equity in all operations and programming.

Consultant’s Qualifications: The following qualifications are important in the selection process:

• Experience developing intersectional diversity, inclusivity and equity implementation plans within academic, activist, and/or feminist nonprofit organizations.
• Respected and endorsed experience leading with an intersectional lens in addressing all forms of systemic oppressions, and helping to move institutions to become more diverse, inclusive and equitable organizations.
• Experience supporting staff (those in leadership roles, and members at varying levels of exposure, comfort and buy-in) and helping folks navigate discomfort while still centering diversity, inclusion, and equity.
• Experience working with communities most impacted by intersecting forms of oppression.
• Prioritization of qualified consultants, who have a strong understanding of the intersections of history of oppressions faced by marginalized and minoritized communities.

Proposal Request and Review Process: This request for proposals is a two-part process, as follows:

• All interested consultants must submit a brief written proposal no more than 5-6 pages
• Selected applicants will be invited to interview with a team of SWS stakeholders where key leaders will ask questions related to the proposal

The proposal must address the following:

• A brief description of your approach to supporting SWS in assessing and operationalizing diversity, equity, and inclusion.
• Statement of your (firm’s) qualifications related to this RFP, a short biography of evaluators, and an explanation as to why your evaluation experience and social positions make you a good candidate to conduct this type of evaluation for an organization like SWS.
• Overarching assessment topics, including questions, process, and methods
• Assessment Process to include:
  • Sample topics and questions with overarching plan for data collection methods and strategies, rationale for your approach and plans for data assessment.
  • Expected deliverables include summary of findings, and framing of an implementation plan which incorporates indicators of success and goals for future tracking and assessment
• Budget & timeline to produce an assessment within 12 months of the contractual date.

Submission Instructions:

Please submit a proposal no later than 5:00 EDT, September 19, 2022.

Submit proposal to Barret Katuna, SWS Executive Officer, at swseo.barretkatuna@outlook.com as a single PDF document. Feel free to direct any questions to Barret Katuna.

Thank you to Mindy Fried and Andres Lopez for their assistance in drafting this RFP. 

PostedPDFRFPJuly29.22

PostedDOCRFPJuly29.22

SWS Call to Action Opposing the Supreme Court decision Overturning the Federal Right to Abortion

July 20, 2022

SWS unequivocally opposes the SCOTUS decision in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization which overturned the federal right to abortion that was held in Roe. v. Wade. Because we understand the urgent need to take action and get involved in our communities as resistance to this regressive turn of events regarding reproductive justice, we are sharing this information as a working document that will continue to evolve as the situation changes and more resources are gathered.

We encourage you to take action!

As a feminist organization striving to put intersectionality and transnationalism in practice, SWS opposes the decision to overrule the federal right to abortion for the following reasons:

• This is about Reproductive Justice. A Reproductive Justice approach underscores that reproductive matters are not only related to pregnancies, abortions or family planning, but intrinsically linked to broader social, cultural, political and economic structures and practices. Specifically, as Sister Song states, Reproductive Justice is “the human right to maintain personal bodily autonomy, have children, not have children, and parent the children we have in safe and sustainable communities.” This frame helps us best understand the implications and consequences of this moment locally, regionally, nationally and internationally. Historically, the frame of Reproductive Justice is rooted in Black feminism, human rights, and intersectionality in the United States. In other countries a similar frame has been applied, emphasizing its collective dimension (as opposed to an individualistic approach) on matters of gendered economic precarity and violence, long-standing racial and ethnic hierarchies, religious dictates, heteropatriarchy, various related forms of gender-based violence, and the clearly unequal impact of the criminalization of abortion.^[1]
• This is not only about choice. It is about people’s “right to lead self-determined lives.” All people who may have the ability to be pregnant should have the freedom to manage their own lives and the quality thereof. Not to be able to decide whether to have an abortion is equivalent to not being able to make decisions about our own selves. The prohibition of abortion limits the fundamental right to self-determination. Moreover, both self-determination and choice are influenced by the structure of our society, which is deeply unequal by design, as many sociologists and activists of color have emphasized for years. Consequently, we must keep in mind that “there is no choice where there is no access” (Sister Song).
• Unequal access will be deepened. Mostly white, economically advantaged people will be able to travel to other states, afford accommodations, have access to time off from work (increasingly necessary with waiting periods), and are more likely to be able to draw on friends or family to escort them, whereas others will not. Recent data, collected in advance of the overturning of Roe, show that lack of local access to abortion intensifies racial and economic inequality^[2] and poses further compounding obstacles such as the need to take time off for work and to fund travel expenses for up to two trips at times for states that have a two visit requirement.^[3] The short of it is that Black people and people of color, especially those economically disadvantaged, will be most negatively affected by this rollback. Indeed, similar kinds of intersecting inequalities are what pushed the “Green Tide” (Marea Verde) reproductive justice activists in Latin America to demand “free, legal and safe abortions for all” because “the right to abortion was considered inseparable from the demand that it be guaranteed in the public health care system.”^[4]
• Forced pregnancies will follow. States are now effectively forcing pregnancies in the United States. Thirteen states have enacted their “trigger laws” and 13 more are maneuvering to outlaw abortion entirely or with very rare exceptions. That means in most US states, it will soon be illegal to seek a medical or surgical abortion. This also will result in increased surveillance and criminalization of miscarriages, even those resulting from intended pregnancies.
• Abortion IS healthcare. Why? Because pregnancy is risky, far more dangerous in fact than safe, legal abortion. For example, statistics reveal non-Hispanic Black women facing maternal mortality at 2.9% times the rate of non-Hispanic white women.^[5] It is in these instances and more that overturning Roe denies people with uteruses life-saving healthcare and self-determined choices.
• Criminalizing abortion does not mean that abortions will stop. Some states have already reverted to their pre-Roe statutes when abortion was a crime. Abortion has and will continue to be one strategy to manage one’s reproductive lifecycle. By leaving the legality of abortion up to individual states, criminalization of those seeking, referring, or performing abortions will be expanded. This criminalization will be exacerbated for people who face pre-existing criminal justice supervision (e.g., pregnant/reproductive health concerns for people on probation, currently incarcerated, on parole, , etc.). The criminalization of abortion is especially deadly for (1) people with at-risk pregnancies and compromised health (i.e., Black women are likelier to die in childbirth comparably); (2) people who attempt dangerous abortion options out of desperation because they are unable to legally access medications that help people safely self-manage abortion from the comfort of home; (3) women in abusive partnerships who are more likely to be killed by their partners when pregnant and also stay with abusive partners; and 4) those who would take to suicides because they see no way out.^[6]
• This is also about historic inequalities. Reproductive Justice helps us link the history of indigenous, Afro-descendant, migrant and other marginalized and minoritized women being controlled, marketed, auctioned, and/or used for breeding, as well as being used as objects for gynecological experimenting, and/or forced sterilization to today’s movement to eradicate bodily autonomy. These efforts affect all people who desire the privacy to make decisions about their bodies but are confronted with the reality that bodies are sites of public, governmental and political contestation.^[7]
• There are wider implications. As indicated in Justice Thomas’ concurrence, rulings around contraception (Griswold), same sex relationships (Obergefell) among others are at risk for being challenged and overturned. This has implications for everyone in the U.S. and beyond.
• This decision has a global impact. Given the dominant position of the United States, other countries will be affected by this conservative turn economically, politically and culturally. For example, restrictive reproductive policies in the U.S. affect international funding supporting reproductive justice causes in other countries. Moreover, political decisions in the U.S. are used as examples of what can or should be (or not). In this case, right wing politics elsewhere will find respite in such a conservative turn of affairs. Therefore, it is important to keep in mind that alliances across geographical borders can be fundamental to strategize action for reproductive justice and other intersectional gender related matters.^[8]

Strategic Action is Urgent and Necessary

These are some ideas and resources for people to take action in opposition to the overruling of the federal right to abortion, but please keep in mind your digital security level and how increasing it can protect you and people seeking abortions or advocating for abortion access:

• Trust the leaders of the grassroots organizations who have been doing work on the ground for years, and follow their social media in the coming months to see what other types of support they need.
• Before deciding to start your own organization, funds, etc., read what abortion providers are saying they need. For example: Abortion Care Status and Abortion Funds Status.
• Share reliable information about state-by-state abortion access organizations that support financial and other needs for those seeking abortions. Donate if you can.
  • National Network of Abortion Funds
  • National Abortion Finder
  • I Need an A
• Write to legislators (city, state, federal) about your concerns. Look up your elected representatives at the Gov site. Host letter-writing campaigns locally.
• Educate yourself on how the right to not have children is linked to the right to have children and the right to parent. Organizations to learn from and support include SisterSong, Constellation Black Reproductive Justice Network, National Latina Institute for Reproductive Justice, Indigenous Women Rising, National Advocates for Pregnant Women, and National Asian Pacific Women’s Forum.
• Understand that your recourse should be more than “to vote.” This is important, but elected and unelected bodies (like SCOTUS) will not protect us, and they won’t fight for us.
• Share information about legal issues, including at-home abortion pill options, self-managed abortions, and judicial bypass.
  • Repro Legal Helpline
  • Plan C
  • Aid Access

• Read up!
  • For reliable information on state laws and policy impacts: National Women’s Law Center.
  • For information about research and policy: Guttmacher Institute
  • For information about How to Show up for Abortion Access

Please, help us improve our list of actions and resources by filling out this form here. Erin Baker-Giese, SWS Media Relations Committee Chair, is compiling a comprehensive social media package to share information about resources, experts, and images that can be used.

If you’re interested in further organizing, please contact Kris De Welde (deweldek@cofc.edu) and Heather Hlavka (heather.hlavka@marquette.edu), Co-Chairs of the SWS Social Action Committee.

—

Special thanks to everyone who contributed to this Call to Action:

Erin Baker-Giese

Pallavi Banerjee

Andrea S. Boyles

Wendy Christensen

Kris De Welde

Melanie Heath

Esther Hernández-Medina

Heather Hlavka

Barret Katuna

Zakiya Luna

Mignon R. Moore

Mary Osirim

Roberta Villalón

^[1] See SisterSong at https://www.sistersong.net/reproductive-justice; Reproductive Rights as Human Rights: Women of Color and the Fight for Reproductive Justice. (https://nyupress.org/9781479831296/reproductive-rights-as-human-rights/); and Abortion and Democracy: Contentious Body Politics in Argentina, Chile and Uruguay (https://www.routledge.com/Abortion-and-Democracy-Contentious-Body-Politics-in-Argentina-Chile-and/Sutton-Vacarezza/p/book/9780367529413).

^[2] Cohen (2022). “Abortion and Women of Color: The Bigger Picture.” Guttmacher Policy Review 11(3).    https://www.guttmacher.org/gpr/2008/08/abortion-and-women-color-bigger-picture

^[3] Berak and Jones (2022). “Cross-state Travel for Abortion Care.” The Lancet Regional Health – Americas. Vol 10 (https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2667193X22000473?via%3Dihub)

^[4] See Gago, “What Latin American feminists can teach American women about the abortion fight” (May 10, 2022), The Guardian https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2022/may/10/abortion-roe-v-wade-latin-america and also Chang, Mehta and Kenin, “What the U.S. can learn from abortion rights wins in Latin America” (July 7, 2020), NPR (https://www.npr.org/2022/07/07/1110123695/abortion-roe-latin-america-green-wave)

^[5] Harris (2022). “Black Mothers Are Dying. Here’s How We Stop It.” (May 27, 2022), Ms. Magazine   https://msmagazine.com/2022/05/27/black-women-dying-childbirth-maternal-mortality/

^[6] See Interrupting Criminalization site to learn about the links between abortion criminalization and broader policing (https://www.interruptingcriminalization.com/decriminalize-abortion) and also CDC information about abortion surveillance (https://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/volumes/70/ss/ss7009a1.htm#T7_down)

^[7] See Dorothy Roberts Killing the Black Body: Race, Reproduction and the Meaning of Liberty (https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/155575/killing-the-black-body-by-dorothy-roberts/)

^[8] See for example, comparison of abortion laws worldwide, https://www.cfr.org/article/abortion-law-global-comparisons, and https://reproductiverights.org/maps/worlds-abortion-laws/, and information about the green tide in Latin America:  https://www.amnesty.org/en/latest/impact/2019/08/the-green-wave/

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SWS Call to Action Opposing the Supreme Court decision Overturning the Federal Right to Abortion  

Revised on August 3, 2022

SWS unequivocally opposes the SCOTUS decision in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization which overturned the federal right to abortion that was held in Roe. v. Wade. Because we understand the urgent need to take action and get involved in our communities as resistance to this regressive turn of events regarding reproductive justice, we are sharing this information as a working document that will continue to evolve as the situation changes and more resources are gathered.

We encourage you to take action!

As a feminist organization striving to put intersectionality and transnationalism in practice, SWS opposes the decision to overrule the federal right to abortion for the following reasons:

• This is about Reproductive Justice. A Reproductive Justice approach underscores that reproductive matters are not only related to pregnancies, abortions or family planning, but intrinsically linked to broader social, cultural, political and economic structures and practices. Specifically, as Sister Song states, Reproductive Justice is “the human right to maintain personal bodily autonomy, have children, not have children, and parent the children we have in safe and sustainable communities.” This frame helps us best understand the implications and consequences of this moment locally, regionally, nationally and internationally. Historically, the frame of Reproductive Justice is rooted in Black feminism, human rights, and intersectionality in the United States. In other countries a similar frame has been applied, emphasizing its collective dimension (as opposed to an individualistic approach) on matters of gendered economic precarity and violence, long-standing racial and ethnic hierarchies, religious dictates, heteropatriarchy, various related forms of gender-based violence, and the clearly unequal impact of the criminalization of abortion.^[1]
• This is not only about choice. It is about people’s “right to lead self-determined lives.” All people who may have the ability to be pregnant should have the freedom to manage their own lives and the quality thereof. Not to be able to decide whether to have an abortion is equivalent to not being able to make decisions about our own selves. The prohibition of abortion limits the fundamental right to self-determination. Moreover, both self-determination and choice are influenced by the structure of our society, which is deeply unequal by design, as many sociologists and activists of color have emphasized for years. Consequently, we must keep in mind that “there is no choice where there is no access” (Sister Song).
• Unequal access will be deepened. Mostly white, economically advantaged people will be able to travel to other states, afford accommodations, have access to time off from work (increasingly necessary with waiting periods), and are more likely to be able to draw on friends or family to escort them, whereas others will not. Recent data, collected in advance of the overturning of Roe, show that lack of local access to abortion intensifies racial and economic inequality^[2] and poses further compounding obstacles such as the need to take time off for work and to fund travel expenses for up to two trips at times for states that have a two visit requirement.^[3] The short of it is that Black people and people of color, especially those economically disadvantaged, will be most negatively affected by this rollback. Indeed, similar kinds of intersecting inequalities are what pushed the “Green Tide” (Marea Verde) reproductive justice activists in Latin America to demand “free, legal and safe abortions for all” because “the right to abortion was considered inseparable from the demand that it be guaranteed in the public health care system.”^[4]
• Forced pregnancies will follow. States are now effectively forcing pregnancies in the United States. Thirteen states have enacted their “trigger laws” and 13 more are maneuvering to outlaw abortion entirely or with very rare exceptions. That means in most US states, it will soon be illegal to seek a medication or procedureal abortion. This also will result in increased surveillance and criminalization of miscarriages, even those resulting from intended pregnancies.
• Abortion IS healthcare. Why? Because pregnancy is risky, far more dangerous in fact than safe, legal abortion. For example, statistics reveal non-Hispanic Black women facing maternal mortality at 2.9% times the rate of non-Hispanic white women.^[5] It is in these instances and more that overturning Roe denies people with uteruses life-saving healthcare and self-determined choices.
• Criminalizing abortion does not mean that abortions will stop. Some states have already reverted to their pre-Roe statutes when abortion was a crime. Abortion has and will continue to be one strategy to manage one’s reproductive lifecycle. By leaving the legality of abortion up to individual states, criminalization of those seeking, referring, or performing abortions will be expanded. This criminalization will be exacerbated for people who face pre-existing criminal justice supervision (e.g., pregnant/reproductive health concerns for people on probation, currently incarcerated, on parole, , etc.). The criminalization of abortion is especially deadly for (1) people with at-risk pregnancies and compromised health (i.e., Black women are likelier to die in childbirth comparably); (2) people who attempt dangerous abortion options out of desperation because they are unable to legally access medications that help people safely self-manage abortion from the comfort of home; (3) women in abusive partnerships who are more likely to be killed by their partners when pregnant and also stay with abusive partners; and 4) those who would take to suicides because they see no way out.^[6]
• This is also about historic inequalities. Reproductive Justice helps us link the history of indigenous, Afro-descendant, migrant and other marginalized and minoritized women being controlled, marketed, auctioned, and/or used for breeding, as well as being used as objects for gynecological experimenting, and/or forced sterilization to today’s movement to eradicate bodily autonomy. These efforts affect all people who desire the privacy to make decisions about their bodies but are confronted with the reality that bodies are sites of public, governmental and political contestation.^[7]
• There are wider implications. As indicated in Justice Thomas’ concurrence, rulings around contraception (Griswold), same sex relationships (Obergefell) among others are at risk for being challenged and overturned. This has implications for everyone in the U.S. and beyond.
• This decision has a global impact. Given the dominant position of the United States, other countries will be affected by this conservative turn economically, politically and culturally. For example, restrictive reproductive policies in the U.S. affect international funding supporting reproductive justice causes in other countries. Moreover, political decisions in the U.S. are used as examples of what can or should be (or not). In this case, right wing politics elsewhere will find respite in such a conservative turn of affairs. Therefore, it is important to keep in mind that alliances across geographical borders can be fundamental to strategize action for reproductive justice and other intersectional gender related matters.^[8]

Strategic Action is Urgent and Necessary

These are some ideas and resources for people to take action in opposition to the overruling of the federal right to abortion, but please keep in mind your digital security level and how increasing it can protect you and people seeking abortions or advocating for abortion access:

• Trust the leaders of the grassroots organizations who have been doing work on the ground for years, and follow their social media in the coming months to see what other types of support they need.
• Before deciding to start your own organization, funds, etc., read what abortion providers are saying they need. For example: Abortion Care Status and Abortion Funds Status.
• Share reliable information about state-by-state abortion access organizations that support financial and other needs for those seeking abortions. Donate if you can.
  • National Network of Abortion Funds
  • National Abortion Finder
  • I Need an A
• Write to legislators (city, state, federal) about your concerns. Look up your elected representatives at the Gov site. Host letter-writing campaigns locally.
• Educate yourself on how the right to not have children is linked to the right to have children and the right to parent. Organizations to learn from and support include SisterSong, Constellation Black Reproductive Justice Network, National Latina Institute for Reproductive Justice, Indigenous Women Rising, National Advocates for Pregnant Women, and National Asian Pacific Women’s Forum.
• Understand that your recourse should be more than “to vote.” This is important, but elected and unelected bodies (like SCOTUS) will not protect us, and they won’t fight for us.
• Share information about legal issues, including at-home abortion pill options, self-managed abortions, and judicial bypass.
  • Repro Legal Helpline
  • Plan C
  • Aid Access

• Read up!
  • For reliable information on state laws and policy impacts: National Women’s Law Center.
  • For information about research and policy: Guttmacher Institute
  • For information about How to Show up for Abortion Access
  • For abortion research and policy:Advancing New Standards in Reproductive Health (ANSIRH)

Please, help us improve our list of actions and resources by filling out this form here. Erin Baker-Giese, SWS Media Relations Committee Chair, is compiling a comprehensive social media package to share information about resources, experts, and images that can be used.

If you’re interested in further organizing, please contact Kris De Welde (deweldek@cofc.edu) and Heather Hlavka (heather.hlavka@marquette.edu), Co-Chairs of the SWS Social Action Committee.

—

Special thanks to everyone who contributed to this Call to Action:

Erin Baker-Giese

Pallavi Banerjee

Andrea S. Boyles

Wendy Christensen

Kris De Welde

Melanie Heath

Esther Hernández-Medina

Heather Hlavka

Barret Katuna

Katrina Kimport

Zakiya Luna

Mignon R. Moore

Mary Osirim

Roberta Villalón

^[1] See SisterSong at https://www.sistersong.net/reproductive-justice; Reproductive Rights as Human Rights: Women of Color and the Fight for Reproductive Justice. (https://nyupress.org/9781479831296/reproductive-rights-as-human-rights/); and Abortion and Democracy: Contentious Body Politics in Argentina, Chile and Uruguay (https://www.routledge.com/Abortion-and-Democracy-Contentious-Body-Politics-in-Argentina-Chile-and/Sutton-Vacarezza/p/book/9780367529413).

^[2] Cohen (2022). “Abortion and Women of Color: The Bigger Picture.” Guttmacher Policy Review 11(3).    https://www.guttmacher.org/gpr/2008/08/abortion-and-women-color-bigger-picture

^[3] Berak and Jones (2022). “Cross-state Travel for Abortion Care.” The Lancet Regional Health – Americas. Vol 10 (https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2667193X22000473?via%3Dihub)

^[4] See Gago, “What Latin American feminists can teach American women about the abortion fight” (May 10, 2022), The Guardian https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2022/may/10/abortion-roe-v-wade-latin-america and also Chang, Mehta and Kenin, “What the U.S. can learn from abortion rights wins in Latin America” (July 7, 2020), NPR (https://www.npr.org/2022/07/07/1110123695/abortion-roe-latin-america-green-wave)

^[5] Harris (2022). “Black Mothers Are Dying. Here’s How We Stop It.” (May 27, 2022), Ms. Magazine   https://msmagazine.com/2022/05/27/black-women-dying-childbirth-maternal-mortality/

^[6] See Interrupting Criminalization site to learn about the links between abortion criminalization and broader policing (https://www.interruptingcriminalization.com/decriminalize-abortion) and also CDC information about abortion surveillance (https://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/volumes/70/ss/ss7009a1.htm#T7_down)

^[7] See Dorothy Roberts Killing the Black Body: Race, Reproduction and the Meaning of Liberty (https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/155575/killing-the-black-body-by-dorothy-roberts/)

^[8] See for example, comparison of abortion laws worldwide, https://www.cfr.org/article/abortion-law-global-comparisons, and https://reproductiverights.org/maps/worlds-abortion-laws/, and information about the green tide in Latin America:  https://www.amnesty.org/en/latest/impact/2019/08/the-green-wave/

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Message to Membership on June 27, 2022

Dear SWSers,

The United States’ Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe v. Wade is undoubtedly a major regression in the history of this country as well as women’s, gender, reproductive and human rights’ movements as a whole. It is also a very concrete example of the power that the right wing has been gathering in the last decade or so. As feminists, we know that our action and commitment has become even more necessary if we want to resist the reversal of decades of activism to ensure self-determination regarding reproductive as well as other fundamental rights. Moreover, we know that for our feminist politics to be relevant, we must take on an intersectional approach to emphasize that reproductive justice is entangled with sexual, ethnoracial and class regimes as well as other systemic oppressions like ableism and religious ideologies countering science and autonomy. Similarly, we know that our feminist action must rely on a transnational perspective to contextualize national experiences, learn from similar processes elsewhere and form alliances across borders to strengthen our movement for abortion and reproductive justice.

In recognition of the complexity of this moment, SWS leadership is gathering information to put out not just a statement but a call for action and thinking about how SWS can play a role to provide support to those most impacted by this recent news.

We invite you to fill out this form if you’d like to be included in our listing of reproductive justice experts to be showcased on our website:

https://sws.memberclicks.net/sws-expert-database

We also invite you to send us relevant information on this topic, especially action-oriented initiatives and services offered for people now living in states where abortion is now or soon will be illegal.  All SWS Committees are welcome to share ideas to put together our organization’s statement, call for action and resource page.

In the meantime, President Roberta Villalón, is organizing an “emergency plenary” for the SWS 2022 Summer Meeting devoted to analyzing the current situation as well as strategize collective action which will include our own feminist reproductive justice experts and built-in time to brainstorm concrete ways to contribute with the reversal of this pathetic retrograde wave. Co-Presidents-Elect, Mary Osirim and Melanie Heath are actively thinking about how the programming of the SWS 2023 Winter Meeting scheduled for January 2023 in New Orleans, Louisiana–one of the states where abortion is now forbidden– can address this matter in support of reproductive justice.

We trust that with your participation, SWS will raise a strong, intersectional, and transnational voice on reproductive justice.  Please stay tuned for updates and share your thoughts!

In solidarity,

SWS Leadership