Women: Labor Pains
Reproductive rights and abortion are under sustained political attack. Texas, Mississippi and other states have passed highly restrictive laws limiting and, in some cases, eliminating access to abortion. In all, nearly 600 anti-abortion laws have been introduced. The Supreme Court, with its three Trump-appointed justices, seems poised to decimate if not overturn the Court’s 1973 Roe v. Wade decision which legalized abortion. In 2018, even before the pandemic, the birth rate in the United States reached its lowest level in decades. The pandemic has further reduced childbirths. Feminist activists assert that declining birth rates represent a work slowdown, or strike, in the face of the poor conditions for those who do the work of bearing and raising children. For millions of overworked and exhausted women, the financial burden is significant. They must be compensated.
Recorded at the University of California.
Speaker
Jenny Brown
Jenny Brown is a National Women’s Liberation organizer and former editor of Labor Notes. She was a leader in the grassroots campaign to make morning-after pill contraception available over the counter and was a plaintiff in the winning lawsuit. Her articles appear in Jacobin, Alternet and other publications. She is the author of Without Apology: The Abortion Struggle Now and Birth Strike: The Hidden Fight over Women’s Work.
laura –
Wow, Jenny Brown is brilliant. She said/connected so many issues that I never could have put into words. I am so angry about racism, patriarchal control of women, etc.
Rhoda F. TAYLOR –
Bravo! Reflects exactly my experience, and I live in Canada.
Kelly Shanafelt (verified owner) –
She connects the dots about birth control, abortion rights, immigration, slavery and the economy. Fantastic.
Greg Condon –
Best cultural and political analysis I’ve heard/read in years! Hats off!
Patricia Bowman (verified owner) –
Jenny Brown’s talk was incredibly informative She very clearly shows the connections between the values claimed by political leaders and their actions.