Reproductive justice in Aotearoa New Zealand—A viewpoint narrative
Keywords:
reprductive justiveAbstract
The term reproductive justice originated in the United States in 1994 (Ross, 2017; Ross & Solinger, 2017; SisterSong, n.d.). It was coined by a group of Black women who organised under the name Women of African Descent for Reproductive Justice (Zavella, 2020). These women recognised that the reproductive rights movement was not only led by wealthy and middle- class white women, but it was also focused exclusively on the needs and experiences of wealthy and middle-class white women. The reproductive rights movement did not value or account for the experiences of women of colour, other marginalised women, and trans people—or the unique threats that these people face to their reproductive autonomy. The reproductive rights movement was centred on the idea of “choice”.
References
Abortion Legislation Act 2020. https://www.legislation.govt.nz/ act/public/2020/0006/latest/LMS237600.html
Burry K., Thorburn N., & Jury A. (2018). Reproductive Coercion in Aotearoa New Zealand. National Collective of Independent Women’s Refuges. Wellington. https:// womensrefuge.org.nz/wp-content/uploads/2019/11/Reproductive-Coercion.pdf
Collins, P. H. (2015). Intersectionality's definitional dilemmas. Annual Review of Sociology, 41(1), 1–20. https://doi. org/10.1146/annurev-soc-073014-112142
Cooper J. M., & Sánchez P. J. (2018). Congenital syphilis. Seminars in Perinatology, 42(3), 176–184. https://doi. org/10.1053/j.semperi.2018.02.005. Epub 2018 Apr 5. PMID: 29627075.
Dixon, R., Robertson, J., Beliveau, A., Reid, S., Maitland, R., & Dalley, J. (2022). New Zealand secondary school teachers’ perspectives on teaching Relationships and Sexuality Education. https://www.familyplanning.org.nz/media/305050/teachers-rse-survey-2022.pdf
Education and Training Act 2020. https://www.legislation. govt.nz/act/public/2020/0038/latest/LMS170676.html
Education Review Office. (2018). Promoting wellbeing through sexuality education. https://ero.govt.nz/ our-research/promoting-wellbeing-through-sexuality- education
El-Mowafi, I. M., Yalahow, A., Idriss-Wheeler, D., & Yaya, S. (2021). The politest form of racism: Sexual and reproductive health and rights paradigm in Canada. Reproductive Health, 18, 59. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12978-021-01117-8
Ellis, K., Munro, D., & Wood, R., (2022), The experiences of endometriosis patients with diagnosis and treatment in New Zealand. Frontiers in Global. Women’s Health, 3. https://doi.org/10.3389/fgwh.2022.991045
Ellis, K., Munro, D., & Wood, R. (2023). Dismissal informs the priorities of endometriosis patients in New Zealand. Frontiers in Medicine, 10, 1185769. https://doi. org/10.3389/fmed.2023.1185769
ESR. (2022). ESR undertakes STI surveillance on behalf of the Ministry of Health. unpublished data.
Family Planning. (2020). Contraceptive Use Survey. https:// www.familyplanning.org.nz/media/304436/contraception- use-survey-2020_final.pdf
Health Quality & Safety Commission New Zealand. (2020).
Atlas of healthcare variation: Contraceptive use by women: Key findings. https://www.hqsc.govt.nz/assets/ Our-data/Publications-resources/Contraceptive-use- infographic-Nov-2020.pdf
Innes, C. R., Williman, J. A., Simcock, B. J., Hider, P., Sage, M., Dempster-Rivett, K., Lawton, B., & Sykes, P. H. (2020). Impact of human papillomavirus vaccination on rates of abnormal cervical cytology and histology in young New Zealand women. New Zealand Medical Journal (Online), 133(1508), 72–84.
Laurence, R. (2019). Māori women and abortion: A Kaupapa Māori literature review. Te Whāriki Takapou. https://tewhariki.org.nz/wp-content/uploads/19_582_ Laurence_M%C4%81ori-women-and-abortion_A- Kaupapa-M%C4%81ori-review-1.pdf
Lawton, B., Makowharemahihi, C., Cram, F., Robson, B., & Ngata, T. (2016). Pounamu: E Hine: access to contraception for indigenous Māori teenage mothers. Journal of Primary Health Care, 8(1), 52–59. https://doi. org/10.1071/HC15021
Lee, S. C., & Norman, W. V. (2022). Emergency contraception subsidy in Canada: A comparative policy analysis. BMC Health Services Research, 22(1), 1110. https://bmchealthservres.biomedcentral.com/ articles/10.1186/s12913-022-08416-1
Le Grice J., & Braun V. (2018). Indigenous (Māori) sexual health psychologies in New Zealand: Delivering culturally congruent sexuality education. Journal of Health Psychology, 23(2), 175–187. https://doi. org/10.1177/1359105317739909
Le Grice, J., Turner, C., Nikora, L., & Gavey, N. (2022). Indigenous sexual & reproductive Justice in Aotearoa New Zealand: Mitigating ongoing colonial harm in the revitalisation of Māori sexual violence prevention knowledge, expertise, and practice. In T. Morison & J. M.-J. J. Mavuso (Eds.), Sexual and reproductive justice: From the margins to the centre (pp. 41–59). Lexington Books.
Lourie, R. (2020). Māori women and cervical screening: A Kaupapa Māori literature review. Te Whāriki Takapou. https://tewhariki.org.nz/assets/Maori-women-and- cervical-screening-A-Kaupapa-Maori-Literature-Review. pdf
McGinn, O., Mount, V., & Fulcher, H. (2021). Increasing access to contraception in New Zealand: Assessing the impact of a new funding initiative. New Zealand Medical Journal, 134(1528). https://journal.nzma.org.nz/journal- articles/increasing-access-to-contraception-in-new- zealand-assessing-the-impact-of-a-new-funding-initiative
Messenger, B., Beliveau, A., Clark, M., Fyfe, C., & Green, A. (2021a). How has long-acting reversible contraceptive provision at Family Planning clinics in Aotearoa New Zealand changed since PHARMAC funded intra- uterine systems for contraception? New Zealand Medical Journal, 134(1543). https://journal.nzma.org. nz/journal-articles/how-has-long-acting-reversible- contraceptive-provision-at-family-planning-clinics-in- aotearoa-new-zealand-changed-since-pharmac-funded-intra-uterine-systems-for-contraception
Messenger, B., Beliveau, A., Clark, M., Fyfe, C., & Green, A. (2021b). How has contraceptive provision at Family Planning clinics in Aotearoa New Zealand changed between 2009, 2014 and 2019: a cross-sectional analysis. New Zealand Medical Journal, 30, 134(1539), 21–32.
Ministry of Education. (2020). Relationships and sexuality education, a guide for teachers, leaders, and boards of trustees. https://hpe.tki.org.nz/guidelines-and-policies/relationships-and-sexuality-education/
Minsitry of Health. (n.d.). Definition of equity. https://www. health.govt.nz/about-ministry/what-we-do/achieving- equity#:~:text=World%20Health%20Organization.-,The%20 definition,to%20get%20equitable%20health%20 outcomes
Ministry of Health. (2019). Sexual and reproductive health 2014/15: New Zealand Health Survey. Sexual and Reproductive Health Data Explorer. https://minhealthnz. shinyapps.io/nz-health-survey-2014-15-srh-data- explorer/
Ministry of Health. (2022). Abortion Services Aotearoa New Zealand: Annual Report 2022. Ministry of Health. https:// www.health.govt.nz/publication/abortion-services- aotearoa-new-zealand-annual-report-2022
Ministry of Health. (2023a). Women’s Health Strategy. https:// www.health.govt.nz/publication/womens-health-strategy
Ministry of Health. (2023b). Ngā Pokenga Paipai Me Ngā Pokenga Huaketo Mā Te Toto: Te Rautaki O Aotearoa 2023–2030 | Aotearoa New Zealand Sexually Transmitted and Blood Borne Infection Strategy 2023– 2030. https://www.health.govt.nz/publication/aotearoa- new-zealand-sexually-transmitted-and-blood-borne- infection-strategy-2023-2030#:~:text=The%20vision%20 of%20the%20Sexually,free%20from%20stigma%20 and%20discrimination.
Moewaka Barnes, H., & McCreanor, T. (2019). Colonisation, hauora and whenua in Aotearoa. Journal of the Royal Society of New Zealand, 49:sup1, 19–33. https://doi.org/ 10.1080/03036758.2019.1668439
Munari, S. C., Goller, J. L., Hellard, M., & Hocking, J. S. (2022). Chlamydia prevention and management in Australia: Reducing the burden of disease. The Medical Journal of Australia, 217(10), 499–501. https://doi. org/10.5694/mja2.51749
New Zealand Herald. https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/ the-front-page-ethnicity-in-healthcare-is-te-whatu-oras-new-policy-ethical/ICUSVYKJAVDGPPNUIEM6WVOL5 Q/#:~:text=%E2%80%9COne%20example%20that%20 concerns%20gender,They%20might%20not%20be%20 believed
Ross, L. (2006). Understanding reproductive justice: Transforming the pro-choice movement. off our backs , 36, 14–19. https://doi.org/10.2307/20838711
Ross, L. J. (2017). Reproductive justice as intersectional feminist activism. Souls, 19(3), 286–314. https://doi.org/1 0.1080/10999949.2017.1389634
Ross, L., & Solinger, R. (2017). Reproductive justice: An introduction. University of California Press.
SisterSong. (n.d.). Reproductive justice. https://www.sistersong.net/reproductive-justice
Somigliana, E., Mangili, G., Martinelli, F., Noli, S., Filippi, F., Bergamini, A., Bocciolone, L., Buonomo, B., & Peccatori, F. (2020). Fertility preservation in women with cervical cancer. Critical Reviews in Oncology/Hematology, 154, 103092. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.critrevonc.2020.103092
Te Karu, L., Habib, T., & Crengle, S. (2021). The inequity of access to contraception for women in Aotearoa: an unfair, unsafe and ineffective system. The New Zealand Medical Journal (Online), 134(1532), 86–88.
Te Puna Aonui. (2022). Te Aorerekura: National Strategy to Eliminate Family Violence and Sexual Violence. https:// tepunaaonui.govt.nz/national-strategy/#download
Thompson T. M., Young Y. Y., Bass T. M., Baker S., Njoku O., Norwood J., & Simpson M. (2022). Racism runs through it: Examining the sexual and reproductive health experience of black women in the south. Health Affairs, 41(2), 195–202. https://doi.org/10.1377/ hlthaff.2021.01422
Tsevat, D. G., Wiesenfeld, H. C., Parks, C., & Peipert, J. F. (2017). Sexually transmitted diseases and infertility. American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology, 216(1), 1–9.https://doi/10.1016/j.ajog.2016.08.008.
Turia, T. (2004). 1st National Māori Sexual and Reproductive Health Conference. Wainuiomata Marae, Wellington,
November. https://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PA0411/ S00021.htm
United Nations. (2015). Trends in contraceptive use worldwide 2015. Department of Economic and Social Affairs, Population Division. https://www.un.org/ development/desa/pd/sites/www.un.org.development. desa.pd/files/undesa_pd_report_2015_trends_ contraceptive_use.pdf
UN Women. (n.d.). Intersectional feminism: What it means and why it matters right now. https://un-women.medium. com/intersectional-feminism-what-it-means-and-why-it- matters-right-now-7743bfa16757
Van Gerwen, O. T., Muzny, C. A., & Marrazzo, J. M. (2022). Sexually transmitted infections and female reproductive health. Nature Microbiology, 7(8), 1116–1126. https://doi. org/10.1038/s41564-022-01177-x.
Venuto, D. (2023, June 21). The Front Page: Ethnicity in healthcare: Is Te Whatu Ora’s new policy ethical?
Zavella, P. (2020). The movement for reproductive justice: Empowering women of color through social activism (Vol. 5). NYU Press.
Downloads
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2023 Aotearoa New Zealand Association of Social Workers
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
Authors who publish with this journal agree to the following terms:
By completing the online submission process, you confirm you accept this agreement. The following is the entire agreement between you and the Aotearoa New Zealand Association of Social Workers (ANZASW) and it may be modified only in writing.
You and any co-authors
If you are completing this agreement on behalf of co-authors, you confirm that you are acting on their behalf with their knowledge.
First publication
By submitting the work you are:
- granting the ANZASW the right of first publication of this work;
- confirming that the work is original; and
- confirming that the work has not been published in any other form.
Once published, you are free to use the final, accepted version in any way, as outlined below under Copyright.
Copyright
You assign copyright in the final, accepted version of your article to the ANZASW. You and any co-authors of the article retain the right to be identified as authors of the work.
The ANZASW will publish the final, accepted manuscript under a Creative Commons Attribution licence (CC BY 4.0). This licence allows anyone – including you – to share, copy, distribute, transmit, adapt and make commercial use of the work without needing additional permission, provided appropriate attribution is made to the original author or source.
A human-readable summary of the licence is available from http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0, which includes a link to the full licence text.
Under this licence you can use the final, published version of the article freely – such as depositing a copy in your institutional research repository, uploading a copy to your profile on an academic networking site or including it in a different publication, such as a collection of articles on a topic or in conference proceedings – provided that original publication in Aotearoa New Zealand Social Work is acknowledged.
This agreement has no effect on any pre-publication versions or elements, which remain entirely yours, and to which we claim no right.
Reviewers hold copyright in their own comments and should not be further copied in any way without their permission.
The copyright of others
If your article includes the copyright material of others (e.g. graphs, diagrams etc.), you confirm that your use either:
- falls within the limits of fair dealing for the purposes of criticism and review or fair use; OR
- that you have gained permission from the rights holder for publication in an open access journal.