Skip to main content Accessibility help

We use cookies to distinguish you from other users and to provide you with a better experience on our websites. Close this message to accept cookies or find out how to manage your cookie settings.

Close cookie message
×
Hostname: page-component-cd9895bd7-8ctnn Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-12-26T18:17:44.499Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false

21 - Reproductive Justice, Psychology, and Human Rights

from Part III - Contemporary Issues in Psychology and Human Rights

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  02 October 2020

By
Joan C. Chrisler  and
Lynda M. Sagrestano
Edited by
Neal S. Rubin  and
Roseanne L. Flores
Neal S. Rubin
Affiliation:
Adler University
Roseanne L. Flores
Affiliation:
Hunter College, City University of New York
Get access

Summary

Reproductive justice refers to three primary principles: the right not to have a child, the right to have a child, and the right to parent children in safe and healthy environments. It depends upon the adoption and enactment of a human rights framework, including both negative rights (e.g., governments must not interfere with people’s autonomy) and positive rights (e.g., governments must ensure that people can exercise their rights and freedom and live with dignity). The term is preferred by many because it merges support for reproductive rights with broader movements for social justice. Lack of control over one’s body and an inability to make decisions about one’s destiny can have lasting impacts on women’s physical and mental health and well-being, and have been associated with shame, depression, anxiety, anger, trauma, poor body image, low self-esteem, and low self-worth. Reproductive injustice increases women’s morbidity and mortality risks, and it makes it difficult for them to provide a safe, healthy, and loving environment for their children. This chapter explores four themes based on psychological theory and research – poverty, access to education, access to health care services and supplies, culture – that impact reproductive health (e.g., preconception health, maternal care, maternal and infant mortality, abortion).

Keywords

reproductive justicehuman rightsmaternal and child healthsexual and reproductive health and rightsaccess to health care servicescomprehensive sexuality educationabortionpreconception healthmaternal mortalityinfant mortality
Type
Chapter
Information
The Cambridge Handbook of Psychology and Human Rights , pp. 317 - 331
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Print publication year: 2020

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Agarwal, S., Perry, H. B., Long, L. A., & Labrique, A. B. (2015). Evidence on feasibility and effective use of mHealth strategies by frontline health workers in developing countries: Systematic review. Tropical Medicine & International Health, 20, 1003–1014.Google Scholar
Ahmed, S., Creanga, A. A., Gillespie, D. G., & Tsui, A. O. (2010). Economic status, education, and empowerment: Implications for maternal health service utilization in developing countries. PLOS ONE, 5, e11190.Google Scholar
Aziz, S., Mitra, D. K., & Rahman, M. O. (2017). Identifying factors associated with low maternal health care seeking behavior in Bangladesh: Does women’s autonomy matter? Women’s Reproductive Health, 4, 115–125. doi:10.1080/23293691.2017.1326253Google Scholar
Begun, S., & Walls, N. E. (2015). Pedestal or gutter: Exploring ambivalent sexism’s relationship with abortion attitudes. Affilia, 30, 200–215.Google Scholar
Berglas, N. F., Constantine, N. A., & Ozer, E. J. (2014). A rights-based approach to sexuality education: Conceptualization, clarification, and challenges. Perspectives on Sexual and Reproductive Health, 46, 63–72.Google Scholar
Biddlecom, A. E., Hessburg, L., Singh, S., Bankole, A., & Darabi, L. (2007). Protecting the next generation in sub-Saharan Africa: Learning from adolescents to prevent HIV and unintended pregnancy. New York, NY: Guttmacher Institute.Google Scholar
Boudet, A. M. M., Buitrago, P., Leroy De La Briere, B., Newhouse, D. L., Rubiano Matulevich, E. C., Scott, K., & Suarez-Becerra, P. (2018). Gender differences in poverty and household composition through the life-cycle: A global perspective [policy paper]. The World Bank. https://doi.org/10.1596/1813-9450-8360.Google Scholar
Boyer, J. (2018). New name, same harm: Rebranding of federal abstinence-only programs. Guttmacher Policy Review, 21, 11–16.Google Scholar
Braun, V. (2012). Female genital cutting around the globe: A matter of reproductive justice? In Chrisler, J. C. (Ed.), Reproductive justice: A global concern (pp. 29–55). Santa Barbara, CA: Praeger.Google Scholar
British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC). (2017, August 10). Nepal criminalises banishing menstruating women to huts. www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-40885748Google Scholar
Campbell, J., Dussault, G., Buchan, J., Pozo-Martin, F., Guerra-Arias, M., Leone, C., Siyam, A., & Cometto, G. (2013). A universal truth: No health without a workforce. Forum Report, Third Global Forum on Human Resources Center for Health, Recife, Brazil. Geneva, Switzerland: Global Health Workforce Alliance and World Health Organization.Google Scholar
Center for Reproductive Rights. (2009, January 20). Repro rights are human rights. www.reproductiverights.org/feature/repro-rights-are-human-rightsGoogle Scholar
Chandra-Mouli, V., McCarraher, D. R., Phillips, S. J., Williamson, N. E., & Hainsworth, G. (2014). Contraception for adolescents in low and middle income countries: Needs, barriers, and access. Reproductive Health, 11. doi:10.1186/1742-4755-11-1Google Scholar
Chrisler, J. C. (2008). Fear of losing control: Power, perfectionism, and the psychology of women. Psychology of Women Quarterly, 32, 1–12. doi:10.1111/j.1471-6402.2007.00402.xGoogle Scholar
Chrisler, J. C. (2011). Leaks, lumps, and lines: Stigma and women’s bodies. Psychology of Women Quarterly, 35, 202–214. doi:10.1177/0361684310397698Google Scholar
Chrisler, J. C. (2012). Introduction: What is reproductive justice? In Chrisler, J. C. (Ed.), Reproductive justice: A global concern (pp. 1–9). Santa Barbara, CA: Praeger.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Chrisler, J. C., & Garrett, C. (2010). Women’s reproductive rights: An international perspective. In Paludi, M. A. (Ed.), Feminism and women’s rights worldwide (vol. III, pp. 129–146). Santa Barbara, CA: Praeger.Google Scholar
Cohen, S., Doyle, W. J., & Baum, A. (2006). Socioeconomic status is associated with stress hormones. Psychosomatic Medicine, 68, 414–420.Google Scholar
Cook, R. J., & Dickens, B. M. (2009). From reproductive choice to reproductive justice. International Journal of Gynecology and Obstetrics, 106, 106–109. doi:10.1016/j.ijgo.2009.03.018Google Scholar
Denford, S., Abraham, C., Campbell, R., & Busse, H. (2017). A comprehensive review of reviews of school-based interventions to improve sexual-health. Health Psychology Review, 11, 33–52.Google Scholar
Dhaler, E. A. (2017). Access to reproductive health care services for women in the southern region of Saudi Arabia. Women’s Reproductive Health, 4, 126–140. doi:10.1080/2393691.2017.1326255Google Scholar
Dotson, L. A., Stinson, J., & Christian, L. (2003). “People tell me I can’t have sex”: Women with disabilities share their personal perspectives on health care, sexuality, and reproductive rights. Women & Therapy, 26, 195–209. doi:10.1300/J015v26n03_02Google Scholar
Epstein, M. J., & Bing, E. G. (2011). Delivering health care to the global poor: Solving the accessibility problem. Innovations: Technology, Governance, Globalization, 6, 117–141.Google Scholar
Fischer, S., & Pedersen, K. (2010). Evidence-based guidelines for youth peer education. Research Triangle Park, NC: Family Health International.Google Scholar
Fisher, J., Mello, M. C. D., Patel, V., Rahman, A., Tran, T., Holton, S., & Holmes, W. (2012). Prevalence and determinants of common perinatal mental disorders in women in low-and lower-middle-income countries: A systematic review. Bulletin of the World Health Organization, 90, 139–149.Google Scholar
Fisher, J., Tran, T., Kriitmaa, K., Rosenthal, D., & Tran, T. (2010). Common perinatal mental disorders in northern Viet Nam: community prevalence and health care use. Bulletin of the World Health Organization, 88, 737–745.Google Scholar
Garg, R., Goyal, S., & Gupta, S. (2012). India moves towards menstrual hygiene: Subsidized sanitary napkins for rural adolescent girls. Issues and challenges. Maternal and Child Health Journal, 16, 767–774. doi:10.1007/s10995-011-0798-5Google Scholar
Ha, J. F., Anat, D. S., & Longnecker, N. (2010). Doctor-patient communication: A review. Ochsner Journal, 10, 38–43.Google Scholar
Harris, B., Goudge, J., Ataguba, J. E., McIntyre, D., Nxumalo, N., Jikwana, S., & Chersich, M. (2011). Inequities in access to health care in South Africa. Journal of Public Health Policy, 32, S102–S123.Google Scholar
Haushofer, J., & Fehr, E. (2014). On the psychology of poverty. Science, 344, 862–867.Google Scholar
Hawkey, A. J., Ussher, J. M., & Perz, J. (2018). “If you don’t have a baby, you can’t be in our culture”: Migrant and refugee women’s experiences and constructions of fertility and fertility control. Women’s Reproductive Health, 5, 75–98. doi:10.1080/23293691.2018.1463728Google Scholar
Hennegan, J. M. (2017). Menstrual hygiene management and human rights: The case for an evidence-based approach. Women’s Reproductive Health, 4, 212–231. doi:10.1080/23293691.2017.1388720Google Scholar
Higgins, J. A. (2014). Celebration meets caution: LARC's boons, potential busts, and the benefits of a reproductive justice approach. Contraception, 89, 237–241.Google Scholar
Huang, Y., Davies, P. G., Sibley, C. G., & Osborne, D. (2016). Benevolent sexism, attitudes toward motherhood, and reproductive rights: A multi-study longitudinal examination of abortion attitudes. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 42, 970–984.Google Scholar
International Planned Parenthood Federation. (2010). Framework for comprehensive sexuality education. London, UK: IPPF.Google Scholar
Johnston-Robledo, I., & Chrisler, J. C. (2013). The menstrual mark: Menstruation as social stigma. Sex Roles, 68, 9–18. doi:10.1007/s11199-011-0052-zCrossRefGoogle Scholar
Jones, R. K., & Jerman, J. (2017). Abortion incidence and service availability in the United States, 2014. Perspectives on Sexual and Reproductive Health, 49, 3–14.Google Scholar
Koblinsky, M., Moyer, C. A., Calvert, C., Campbell, J., Campbell, O. M., Feigl, A. B., … & McDougall, L. (2016). Quality maternity care for every woman, everywhere: A call to action. Lancet, 388, 2307–2320.Google Scholar
Lankowski, A. J., Siedner, M. J., Bangsberg, D. R., & Tsai, A. C. (2014). Impact of geographic and transportation-related barriers on HIV outcomes in sub-Saharan Africa: A systematic review. AIDS and Behavior, 18, 1199–1223.Google Scholar
Ledger, S., Earle, S., Tilley, E., & Walmsley, J. (2016). Contraceptive decision-making and women with learning disabilities. Sexualities, 19, 698–724. doi:10.1177/1363460715620576Google Scholar
Lo, N. C., Lowe, A., & Bendavid, E. (2016). Abstinence funding was not associated with reductions in HIV risk behavior in sub-Saharan Africa. Health Affairs, 35, 856–863.Google Scholar
Lund, C., Breen, A., Flisher, A. J., Kakuma, R., Corrigall, J., Joska, J. A., … & Patel, V. (2010). Poverty and common mental disorders in low and middle income countries: A systematic review. Social Science & Medicine, 71, 517–528.Google Scholar
Mannava, P., Durrant, K., Fisher, J., Chersich, M., & Luchters, S. (2015). Attitudes and behaviours of maternal health care providers in interactions with clients: A systematic review. Globalization and Health, 11, 36.Google Scholar
Marshal, M. P., Dietz, L. J., Friedman, M. S., Stall, R., Smith, H. A., McGinley, J., … & Brent, D. A. (2011). Suicidality and depression disparities between sexual minority and heterosexual youth: A meta-analytic review. Journal of Adolescent Health, 49, 115–123.Google Scholar
Mburu, G., Ndimbii, J., Ayon, S., Mlewa, O., Mbizvo, M., Kihara, C., & Ragi, A. (2018). Contraceptive use among women who inject drugs: Motivators, barriers, and unmet needs. Women’s Reproductive Health, 5, 99–116. doi:10.1080/23293691.2018.1463737Google Scholar
Miles-Cohen, S. (2018). Gardening and women’s maternal care in the U.S. capital: The unacceptable chasm. Women’s Reproductive Health, 5, 20–24. doi:10.1080/23293691.2018.1429377Google Scholar
Montagu, D., Yamey, G., Visconti, A., Harding, A., & Yoong, J. (2011). Where do poor women in developing countries give birth? A multi-country analysis of demographic and health survey data. PLOS ONE, 6, e17155.Google Scholar
Moore, B., Alex-Hart, B., & George, I. (2011). Utilization of health care services by pregnant mothers during delivery: A community based study in Nigeria. Journal of Medicine and Medical Science, 2, 864–867.Google Scholar
Morris, R. W. (2005). Research and evaluation in sexuality education: An allegorical exploration of complexities and possibilities. Sex Education, 5, 405–422.Google Scholar
Nores, M., & Barnett, W. S. (2010). Benefits of early childhood interventions across the world: (Under)investing in the very young. Economics of Education Review, 29, 271–282.Google Scholar
Norsworthy, K. L., McLaren, M. A., & Waterfield, L. D. (2012). Women’s power in relationships: A matter of social justice. In Chrisler, J. C. (Ed.), Reproductive justice: A global concern (pp. 58–75). Santa Barbara, CA: Praeger.Google Scholar
O'Donnell, O. (2007). Access to health care in developing countries: Breaking down demand side barriers. Cadernos de Saúde Pública, 23, 2820–2834.Google Scholar
Ononokpono, D. N., Odimegwu, C. O., Adedini, S. A., & Imasiku, E. N. S. (2016). Ethnic diversity and maternal health care in Nigeria. Women’s Reproductive Health, 3, 45–59. doi:10.1080/23293691.2016.1150701Google Scholar
Otieno, F. O., Nyang’au, I. N., Ondeng’e, K. O., & Otieno, G. (2015). Unintended pregnancies in rural western Kenya: The role of HIV status. Women’s Reproductive Health, 2, 124–138. doi:10.1080/23293691.2015.1089151Google Scholar
Pandit, M., & Nagarkar, A. (2017). Determinants of reproductive tract infections among women in urban slums of India. Women’s Reproductive Health, 4, 106–114. doi:10.1080/23293691.2017.1326251Google Scholar
Penchansky, R., & Thomas, J. W. (1981). The concept of access: Definition and relationship to consumer satisfaction. Medical Care, 19, 127–140.Google Scholar
Peters, D. H., Garg, A., Bloom, G., Walker, D. G., Brieger, W. R., & Rahman, M. (2008). Poverty and access to health care in developing countries. Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences, 1136, 161–171.Google Scholar
Pollitt, K. (2018, June 4). Period pains. The Nation, pp. 8–9.Google Scholar
Rahman, A., Lovel, H., Bunn, J., Iqbal, Z., & Harrington, R. (2004). Mothers’ mental health and infant growth: A case–control study from Rawalpindi, Pakistan. Child: Care, Health and Development, 30, 21–27.Google Scholar
Rahman, A., Surkan, P. J., Cayetano, C. E., Rwagatare, P., & Dickson, K. E. (2013). Grand challenges: Integrating maternal mental health into maternal and child health programmes. PLOS Medicine, 10, e1001442.Google Scholar
Ramaswamy, M., Unruh, E., & Comfort, M. (2018). Navigating social networks, resources, and neighborhoods: Facilitators of sexual and reproductive health care use among women released from jail. Women’s Reproductive Health, 5, 44–58. doi:10.1080/23293691.2018.1429373Google Scholar
Reeves, A., Gourtsoyannis, Y., Basu, S., McCoy, D., McKee, M., & Stuckler, D. (2015). Financing universal health coverage: Effects of alternative tax structures on public health systems. Cross-national modelling in 89 low-income and middle-income countries. Lancet, 386, 274–280.Google Scholar
Ross, L. J., & Solinger, R. (2017). Reproductive justice: An introduction. Berkeley, CA: University of California Press.Google Scholar
Ross, P. (2015). Reproductive injustices among women with sickle cell disease. Women’s Reproductive Health, 2, 75–92. doi:10.1080/23293691.2015.1089148Google Scholar
Rubin, L. R., & Phillips, A. (2012). Infertility and assisted reproductive technologies: Matters of reproductive justice. In Chrisler, J. C. (Ed.), Reproductive justice: A global concern (pp. 173–199). Santa Barbara, CA: Praeger.Google Scholar
Russo, N. F. (1976). The motherhood mandate. Journal of Social Issues, 32, 143–153.Google Scholar
Russo, N. F., & Steinberg, J. R. (2012). Contraception and abortion: Critical tools for achieving reproductive justice. In Chrisler, J. C. (Ed.), Reproductive justice: A global concern (pp. 145–171). Santa Barbara, CA: Praeger.Google Scholar
Sagna, M. L., & Sparks, P. J. (2016). Institutional birth in Uganda: The interplay of individual characteristics, physical accessibility, and social context. Women’s Reproductive Health, 3, 30–44. doi:10.1080/23293691.2016.1150134Google Scholar
Sagrestano, L. M., & Finerman, R. (2018). Does the government own my body? The reproductive health of women. In Nadler, J. & Lowery, M. (Eds.), War on women in the United States? Battlefields, battles, and skirmishes (pp. 157–182). Santa Barbara, CA: Praeger.Google Scholar
Santelli, J. S., Kantor, L. M., Grilo, S. A., Speizer, I. S., Lindberg, L. D., Heitel, J., … & Heck, C. J. (2017). Abstinence-only-until-marriage: An updated review of US policies and programs and their impact. Journal of Adolescent Health, 61, 273–280.Google Scholar
Sialubanje, C., Massar, K., Hamer, D. H., & Ruiter, R. A. (2014). Understanding the psychosocial and environmental factors and barriers affecting utilization of maternal healthcare services in Kalomo, Zambia: A qualitative study. Health Education Research, 29, 521–532.Google Scholar
Silliman, J., Fried, M. G., Ross, L., & Gutierrez, E. R. (2004). Undivided rights: Women of color organize for reproductive justice. Boston, MA: South End Press.Google Scholar
Singh, P. K., Kumar, C., Rai, R. K., & Singh, L. (2014). Factors associated with maternal healthcare services utilization in nine high focus states in India: A multilevel analysis based on 14,385 communities in 292 districts. Health Policy and Planning, 29, 542–559.Google Scholar
Smiles, D., Short, S. E., & Sommer, M. (2017). “I didn’t tell anyone because I was very afraid”: Girls’ experiences of menstruation in contemporary Ethiopia. Women’s Reproductive Health, 4, 185–197. doi:10.1080/23293691.2017.1388721Google Scholar
Spector, A. R. (2004). Psychological issues and interventions with infertile patients. Women & Therapy, 27, 91–105. doi:10.1300/J015v27n03_07Google Scholar
Sprague, C., Chersich, M. F., & Black, V. (2011). Health system weaknesses constrain access to PMTCT and maternal HIV services in South Africa: A qualitative enquiry. AIDS Research and Therapy, 8. doi:10.1186/1742-6405-8-10Google Scholar
Uddin, J. (2014). Gendered power dynamics and unmet need for family planning among married women in Bangladesh. Iowa State University Graduate Theses and Dissertations, 13889.Google Scholar
United Nations (UN). (1979). Convention on the elimination of all forms of discrimination against women. GA Res. 34/180. UN GAOR, 34th Sess. Supp. No. 46 at 193 UN Doc. A/34–46 adopted 3 September 1981.Google Scholar
United Nations. (2015). The Millennium Development Goals Report, 2015. www.un.org/millenniumgoals/2015_MDG_Report/pdf/MDG%202015%20rev%20July%201).pdfGoogle Scholar
United Nations. (2017). The Sustainable Development Goals Report, 2017. https://unstats.un.org/sdgs/files/report/2017/TheSustainableDevelopmentGoalsReport2017.pdfGoogle Scholar
United Nations Commission on Population and Development. (2012). Report on the Forty-Fifth Session (15 April 2011 and 23–27 April 2012), New York, NY: United Nations.Google Scholar
United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization. (2009). International technical guidance on sexuality education: An evidence-informed approach for schools, teachers and health educators. Paris: UNESCO. www.unfpa.org/publications/international-technical-guidance-sexuality-educationGoogle Scholar
United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization Bangkok. (2012). Review of policies and strategies to implement and scale up sexuality education in Asia and the Pacific. http://unesdoc.unesco.org/images/0021/002150/215091e.pdfGoogle Scholar
United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization Institute for Statistics. (2018). One in five children, adolescents, and youth is out of school. [Fact sheet No. 48.] Montreal: UIS. http://uis.unesco.org/sites/default/files/documents/fs48-one-five-children-adolescents-youth-out-school-2018-en.pdfGoogle Scholar
United Nations General Assembly. (1948). Universal declaration of human rights. UN General Assembly.Google Scholar
United Nations General Assembly. (2015). Sustainable Development Goals. https://www.un.org/sustainabledevelopment/sustainable-development-goals/Google Scholar
United Nations Population Fund. (n.d.). Comprehensive sexuality education. www.unfpa.org/comprehensive-sexuality-educationGoogle Scholar
Wachs, T. D., Black, M. M., & Engle, P. L. (2009). Maternal depression: A global threat to children’s health, development, and behavior and to human rights. Child Development Perspectives, 3, 51–59.Google Scholar
World Bank. (2015, September 15). FAQs: Global poverty line update. www.worldbank.org/en/topic/poverty/brief/global-poverty-line-faqGoogle Scholar
World Health Organization and Federal Centre for Health Education. (2010). Standards for sexuality education in Europe: A framework for policy makers, educational and health authorities and specialists. Cologne, Germany: Federal Centre for Health Education.Google Scholar
World Health Organization. (2012). Sixty-Fifth World Health Assembly. Geneva: World Health Organization. http://apps.who.int/gb/DGNP/pdf_files/A65_REC1-en.pdfGoogle Scholar
Yaya, S., Amouzou, A., Ekholuenetale, M., Udenigwe, O., Hudani, A., Shah, V., & Bishwajit, G. (2018). Choosing not to give birth in a health facility in Nigeria: Where and why? Women’s Reproductive Health, 5, 132–143. doi:10.1080/23293691.2018.1463752Google Scholar
Zaza, S., Kann, L., & Barrios, L. C. (2016). Lesbian, gay, and bisexual adolescents: Population estimate and prevalence of health behaviors. Journal of the American Medical Association, 316, 2355–2356.Google Scholar

Save book to Kindle

To save this book to your Kindle, first ensure no-reply@cambridge.org is added to your Approved Personal Document E-mail List under your Personal Document Settings on the Manage Your Content and Devices page of your Amazon account. Then enter the ‘name’ part of your Kindle email address below. Find out more about saving to your Kindle.

Note you can select to save to either the @free.kindle.com or @kindle.com variations. ‘@free.kindle.com’ emails are free but can only be saved to your device when it is connected to wi-fi. ‘@kindle.com’ emails can be delivered even when you are not connected to wi-fi, but note that service fees apply.

Find out more about the Kindle Personal Document Service.

Available formats
×

Save book to Dropbox

To save content items to your account, please confirm that you agree to abide by our usage policies. If this is the first time you use this feature, you will be asked to authorise Cambridge Core to connect with your account. Find out more about saving content to Dropbox.

Available formats
×

Save book to Google Drive

To save content items to your account, please confirm that you agree to abide by our usage policies. If this is the first time you use this feature, you will be asked to authorise Cambridge Core to connect with your account. Find out more about saving content to Google Drive.

Available formats
×